As the winter months drag on and the frigid temperatures persist, many of us are becoming homebodies. Whether out of necessity or boredom we find ourselves cleaning drawers and closets and dragging the castoffs out to the trash. Being in this mode myself, I made a pile of questionable things that I wanted to Google before I pitched and I found some of my “junk” to actually be worth saving. Some of these pointers may come in handy for you!
I often work with clients who say “all the jewelry Mom had was worthless costume jewelry.” Don’t be too quick to toss the old jewelry that you come across. Often there is gold or sterling silver content in necklaces, rings and bracelets from 1950-1980 that, while they are of minimal value alone, as a group they can add up to a bit of cha-ching! Also take a second look at your plastic jewelry. Prices are on the rise for Lucite, Bakelite and other plastic jewelry from the mid-20th century. There is value in well constructed, pronged necklaces, broaches and bracelets with faux stones, especially those marked with the name of the designer. Names to watch for include Miriam Haskell, Dior, Chanel and Schiaparelli.
Did you empty the last of the cereal into your bowl at breakfast this morning? What did you do with the box? If you are like most of us, you threw it in the trash, but you might not want to do that. As with anything else a cereal box is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it and when nostalgia enters into the equation if would appear that some people are willing to pay quite a bit. Currently there is a growing market for classic cereal boxes with cartoon characters, super heroes, musicians and sports stars.
Somewhere in the back of a closet many of us have old T-shirts from our years of attending rock concerts or old advertising shirts from one of our favorite products. Scrolling through sold items on Poshmark you will see some amazing prices. A shirt from pop icon Prince recently sold for $380 and a 1990s Mario Brothers Nintendo 64 shirt brought $150. You might want to rethink your plan to toss those old t-shirts in with the cleaning rags!
Are old VHS tapes worth saving? In the majority of cases the answer is, no. There are however some rare tapes and they can be worth from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Disney’s 101 Dalmatians is normally found in the $1-$3 range at local flea markets, but if you happen to have the now out of print “Black Diamond Edition” you are in the possession of a tape that could bring $600. Are you a Star Wars fan? There can be big money in some of the 1980s tapes. A case in point is the a red label, factory sealed, 1984 copy of The Empire Strikes Back which brought $12,500 on eBay in November of 2021!
Most of us have a few old postcards that have been passed down through the family. Cards featuring old historic buildings, modes of transportation and natural disasters are among the most highly sought by ephemera collectors, especially if they are a “Real Photo Postcard.” Real Photo Postcards were created by developing a negative onto photo paper with a postcard backing. By contrast, the bulk of old postcards were made by off-set printing which used an inked image printed on a rubber cylinder, then transferred on to card stock. Real Photo Cards are currently selling on eBay with the majority of them bringing $10-$30, but there are exceptions. A card featuring Route 66 and Tijeras Canyon, in New Mexico just closed with a winning bid of $1,036 and one featuring “Gertie the Dinosaur” playing at a theater in Harlan, Iowa in 1914 came in at $2,550!
Thinking it might be time for some early Spring cleaning? I will let you get to it! Until next time . . . Linda
Linda Kennett is a professional liquidation consultant specializing in down-sizing for seniors and may be reached at 317-258-7835 or lkennett@indy.rr.com
