Rachel Toy It’s a tough time out there for us all at the moment, what with the aftermath of Covid, Brexit and the cost of living crisis. Food prices have been rising, as well as the cost of heating our homes, and with winter on the way, you might be wondering how you are going to pay all the bills! One way to get some extra cash is to sell old items in your home that could be worth money.
There is a market for everything, especially vintage, and this means those things you may have put away in boxes in the attic which you thought were no longer of use to anyone. Read on to find out which of the items collecting dust in your home might actually be worth some money!
More comprehensive advice on how to get help if you are struggling to pay your bills is available from the Citizens Advice website.
Vintage Pyrex
There is a huge market for this among collectors, especially in the US and Australia where British pieces (marked on the base as JAJ Pyrex) are highly sought after. The most colourful pieces command higher prices, as well as the rarest designs. Small details like having a (non-chipped) lid to a casserole dish adds value to the piece too.
Vintage Tupperware
Yes that humble storage container your mum or nan used to use could be worth money too! Collectors tend to go for the brighter colours used in the 70s such as orange and yellow, and the containers with fan lids are especially popular. The older pieces in pastel colours made in the 50s and 60s are worth even more money, as well as those with unusual mould designs such as the atomic salt and pepper pot stand.
Teak Furniture
The décor trend of mid century modern look for homes shows no signs of waning yet! Classic teak pieces made in the 60s and 70s still command higher prices. If you have a teak sideboard, coffee table or nest of tables, then there is a very high probability that people will pay you good money for them.
Kitsch Pictures
Remember that picture of the green Chinese girl? Or those lusty ladies draped over woodland scenes? Considered bad taste at the time, they still sold in their thousands by Boots. People today just love them for their kitsch and nostalgia value. Artists such as Tretchikoff and Lynch command the highest prices.
Decorative Glass
The post war boom of modern design saw many makers from Britain, Italy, Czech Republic and Scandinavia produce some of their best pieces. They were usually quite chunky pieces of glass in innovative designs and bright colours. Some of the most sought after pieces are from Whitefriars, Murano, Sklo Union and Kosta Boda.
Toys and Games
If your parents still have your old toys sitting in their loft waiting for you to collect – go get them! Vintage toys from the mid century period onwards are definitely worth money now. Collectors will fork out large sums for mint examples of dolls such as Sindy and Barbie plus their clothes and play furniture, as well as original My Little Ponies, Care Bears etc. Traditional boys action figures such as He-Man, MASK, Transformers and Action Man are ever popular too.
Old Vinyl and Cassette Tapes
Now that most music is digitised, there is a nostalgia for it in its older, tangible form. Therefore old vinyl and cassette tapes have become very collectable. If you have kept yours, have a good rummage through, as there may be a rare hidden gem in there! More popular releases from 70s and 80s bands tend to be worth the least but vinyl from the 90s can be lucrative as less were pressed due to the new popularity of CDs.
Retro Tech
Things may have moved on in the world of technology, with most items we used to think were highly innovative, now available on one portable device in our hand. However, this doesn’t mean that the old tech is now obsolete! As with vinyl above, collectors still want the nostalgic experience of using it. Vintage games consoles, mint boxed games, early mobile phones, walkmans, cameras and ipods all could be worth a small fortune!
So there we have it. Has this inspired you to get rummaging to find old items in your home that could be worth money? To find out the value of items eBay is the best place to start, and a top tip is to filter by sold prices, not what people are expecting.
Good luck and let me know how you get in in the comments!
This blog post is written by Rachel Toy, owner of Rachel’s Vintage & Retro. I am a 20th Century Vintage Blogger and Dealer writing about the vintage lifestyle, collecting, nostalgia and selling vintage. I also sell carefully curated 20th century antiques and collectables from my online vintage shop. I am happy to work with related brands on collaborations and also accept guest blogs. Find out how to work with me.
