- Various items you've had in your house for years may be worth a lot more than you think.
- Children's toys like action figures, baseball cards, and McDonald's Happy Meal toys could be worth thousands of dollars.
- Similarly, silverware, jewelry, and vintage technology could put more money in your pocket.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
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What's old isn't always new again, but your treasures from years past might make you wealthier.
From books and vinyl records to silverware and porcelain vases, some items lying around your house may make you a pretty penny. Not every item will make you a millionaire, but an extra thousand bucks (or 10) never hurt anyone.
Here are 21 things that have probably been accumulating dust in your house that could turn a serious profit.
Vintage newspapers and magazines could sell for a small fortune.
If your attic or basem*nt is filled with old newspapers and magazines, don't just throw them out. If they're rare and mark important events, then you might be able to sell them for some cash. For example, a newspaper on the day of Elvis Presley's death in 1977 is for sale on eBay for $750.
Additionally, some vintage ads are popular, so look for notable or entertaining print advertisem*nts in magazines that date back to the '40s. For example, eBay has several listings for vintage ads that cost around $25.
"Harry Potter" books that have been on your bookshelf for decades could be worth something today.
If you still own the hardcover first editions of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," then you should check to see if it contains the print line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1." This edition of the book could be worth up to $55,000.
The American versions of the series could also be worth something. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" can be sold up to $6,500if it has the print line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 8 9/9 0/0 01 02" located on the copyright page.
You could sell old McDonald's Happy Meal toys for over $300.
Although Happy Meals are cheap, the toys that come with them may be worth a whole lot more. If you have a collection of Happy Meal sets like TY Teenie Beanie Babies, Furbys, and Halloween Buckets, then you might be able to sell them for a profit. For example, "Inspector Gadget" from 1995 could earn you $350. However, not all of the toys are worth that much. The Changeables toy set is worth $20 to $140.
Rare models of Hot Wheels toys have sold for $3,500 in the past.
The rarest Hot Wheels car is the Collector Number 271 from the 1990s and is said to be worth $3,500. Unfortunately, only seven have been authenticated.
Rare stamps could make you a millionaire.
Stamps are relatively cheap to purchase, but super rare ones could be worth a whole lot today. In fact, an Inverted Jenny stamp form World War I sold in 2016 for $1,351,250. Even if you don't have an extremely rare stamp lying around your house, you might be in possession of one that is somewhat valuable. Caricaturist Al Hirschfeld stamps from the late 1990s, for example, are being sold for more than $100 online.
Vintage Apple computers could be worth thousands — even hundreds of thousands.
Old computers may be bulky and obsolete, but don't toss them to the curb just yet — especially if you have an original Apple. An Apple 1, circa 1976, is one of the most valuable computers sought by collectors. That particular model sold for $355,000 at Christie's in 2017.
It's all downhill from there, financially speaking. Later models, such as the Apple II and III, are priced in the $1,000-$2,500 range, according to tech site TurboFuture.
Vinyl fanatics, rejoice: Your prized albums might be worth a whole lot of dough.
Some of the most collectible recordsinclude The Beatles' "Yesterday and Today," which has gone for as much as $15,300 on eBay,and Bob Dylan's "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan," which has sold for up to $35,000.
A vintage cereal box can be worth hundreds of dollars.
Marsha Dixey, consignment director at Heritage Auctions, said that the cereal box craze began about 20 years ago with Wheaties when the General Mills brand launched sports-themed collectible boxes.
"I've seen things all the way back to the 1910s, Kellogg's early boxes," Dixey told Insider.
On eBay, aset of threeDallas Cowboys Wheaties boxes are going for $119.
Some first-edition books sell for $1 million.
First-edition books can yield quite the value when putting them up for sale. In fact, eBay is filled with first-edition prints that are listed for mind-blowing values. For example, a 1939 edition of Marian & Baer's "Pandora Box" is currently listed for $250,000. Napoleon Hills' complete set of "The Law of Success" is being auctioned at a whopping $1,550,000.
Vintage musical instruments that are hard to find can be worth up to $400,000.
According to a 2011 list fromVintage Guitar magazine, one of the rarest instruments is the Space Age chic 1958-59 Gibson Explorer, valued at $250,000 to $310,000. A 1936-42 Martin D-45 is an even greater find. This steel-stringed acoustic model could be worth between $250,000 and $400,000.
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