Treasures in the Playroom/Den

Today we will examine just a few of the items that may be lurking in your playroom/den that have more value than people may realize.



Lego Toys - While toy collecting is one of the largest general groups of collectors and there are literally thousands of rare and very valuable toys, there is also money to be found in more common toys that people often overlook. Lego toys are a common toy that many people have stashed away in a bin or box that are easily sold online and the values can be quite surprising. The majority of high end sales are for lots measured in pounds. 100lbs. Of legos with mini-figurines, in good condition and sorted sometimes bring over $1000. dollars on Ebay. Even lesser amounts can bring in many hundreds of dollars. A good rough guide to work with in regard to legos is that every 10lbs. will sell in the $50. - $75. range. It should be noted that condition and quality have a great deal to do with the final value at sale or on Ebay.


Home Movies - While it may surprise a few people, the fact is that old home movies are sometimes very desirable to collectors and they will pay upwards of $1000. for some old movies. The key for finding and identifying movies that may be of great interest to collectors is to look for movies that have some historical importance. For example, maybe your uncle was in New York City when Marilyn Monroe was filming "The Seven Year Itch" and he got some footage of Marilyn. That film might get you over $1000. Any historical figure is a good bet to sell. Even more mundane films showing The Indiana State Fair, for example, sometimes sell for $50. - $100. on Ebay. I know some readers may be aghast about the notion of parting with such family treasures, but it should pointed out that any home movie can be easily and inexpensively copied into electronic format and duplicated with ease. So, if you have some films and need a few bucks, get the films copied and sell the originals.

Treasures you may have in your kitchen!

Today we get into the kitchen to cook up some payola pancakes with a side of cash browns. Quite literally, you might have thousands of dollars hiding in your kitchen right now and not know it. This area of collectibles is so enormous that it could fill easily ten books just describing all the items. We will focus on just a few areas in the world of kitchen collectibles to hunt for treasure.

Iron cookware – Griswold is consistently the most desired manufacturer of iron cookware with prices sometimes selling above a thousand dollars for individual skillets. If you have a Griswold logo skillet #13 Eire PA you have one of the skillets most desired by collectors! The #13 consistently sells in the range of $500. on Ebay. Even some Griswold skillet lids are worth a few hundred dollars. The first step when looking for high value skillet is to look on the underside of your skillet for the Griswold logo. The Griswold Company used many variations of logos. The logo that is most desired by collectors has the name Griswold in the center of a large cross and the words Eire, PA below the cross. Even if your skillet is not the #13, you should check what they are selling for on Ebay because many other Griswolds will sell for over $100.

Ice Cream Scoops – The most consistent sellers in this category are from the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was a time when men like Thomas Edison and millions of other inventors applied science and technology to every endeavor known to man. People invented square scoops, heart shaped scoops, round scoops and even tube shaped scoops to get ice cream from the container to cone, dish or bowl. The most valuable scoops to collectors are the ones with odd shapes. The square “sandwich” scoops consistently sell in the range of $50. - $150. on Ebay.

Corkscrews – Astonishingly, there are many corkscrews that will consistently sell in the range of $700 on Ebay. Generally, corkscrews that have interesting shapes bring the most money. Early 1900s Germany used to produce many interesting corkscrews shaped like women’s legs or shoes. These are among the most desirable by collectors.

Mason Jars/Ball Jars – A mason jar sold on Ebay last month for over $2000. In this category, it is the colored glass jars that bring top dollar. Some blue glass jars can be worth $50.-$100 each. The most valuable jars are colors other than clear or blue. Olive green, purple and pink are colors that could put a few hundred dollars in your pocket. The $2000.+ jar that recently sold was an olive green jar.

1950s & 1960s Appliances – Many of the old cast metal mixers, blenders and ice crushers sell well on Ebay. Collectors consistently pay money for these items not only because they are made of sturdy materials that still work flawlessly, but also because of the beautiful art deco and mid-century modern designs of the machines.

General tips – A great general rule to go by when going through kitchen related items is that pieces with advertising on them should always be checked as should any item like an egg beater or ice cream scoop that was made during the Age of the Inventors (late 1800s & early 1900s). If the utensil looks like it was built to be a unique solution to an old problem, it should be checked for value. It is also a good idea to look for items that are designed for one thing but look like something else. Whether it is a pair of legs that unfold into a corkscrew or a bulldog bottle opener, it should be checked for value online.

These are just a few categories of kitchen items out of a universe of thousands of items that you can search for to find a few extra dollars to make ends meet. Now, go cook up a few bucks and have great treasure hunt in your kitchen!

Treasures You May Have On You Right Now & Not Know It!

In the last year, more of my appraisal work has been done for people searching for a few extra dollars to meet a short-term financial need. It is my hope that I can help readers find hidden treasures in their homes, attics, barns or businesses to help them in these tough economic times. This first column will discuss things you may have on you right now that consistently sell for over $50.00.

Big Lebowski Sweater – Do you enjoy sitting around listening to Creedence, sipping on a “Caucasian” in your comfortable wool cardigan? If you are wearing the same type and make of sweater that Jeff Bridges wore in the movie “The Big Lebowski”, you have $50 to over $100. on you right now. The sweater worn by the character “The Dude” in the movie was made by the Pendelton Company in the 1970s and featured a traditional design of the Cowichan Indian tribe of British Colombia. These sweaters are not particularly rare, but they do consistently sell on Ebay to Lebowski fans all over the world.

1969-S Lincoln Cent Doubled Die Obverse – One of these pennies in uncirculated condition sold at the Heritage Auction Gallery last year for over $125,000. The coin will look like it has been stamped twice on the obverse side (the side with the Lincoln bust). This is a very rare coin, but it is a coin that you just might have in your pocket right now or a penny jar at home. It should be noted that just because your coin looks like it has been stamped twice, that does not mean that it is a Doubled Die Obverse coin. You might have the much more common “strike-doubled” coin. A strike-doubled coin is one that has been pressed twice by a die and a double-die coin is a coin that has been pressed by a die that is then modified or “hubbed” and used again on the same coin. One thing to check to see if your 1969-S is the valuable one is to look at the mint mark “S”. If the “S” is doubled, your not going to Disneyland this year. It is always a good idea to check out the value of any coin that appears to be different or has any visible minting error. There are actually quite a few error coins in circulation. Error coins are almost always more valuable than the face value of the coin and, in some cases, they are worth fantastic sums of money.

2004 Wisconsin State Quarter – The Wisconsin state quarter was released as part of the US Mint’s state quarter program in 2004. Shortly thereafter, a few peculiar quarters began to make their way on to the market. On the side of the coin that bears the word Wisconsin there is pictured an ear of corn flanked by two large leaves. The valuable quarters will have an extra small leaf sprouting from the bottom of the large leaf on the left of the ear of corn. These coins can sell for around $500. each depending on condition.

Concert T-Shirts – In the battle of the bands, it is the Heavy Metal bands from the 1980s that are currently wining the vintage concert t-shirt value competition. Shirts from bands like Def Leppard, Slayer, Metallica, Iron Maiden and Megadeth routinely sell for around $50 on Ebay. There are certainly many other band shirts from the icons of rock and roll that sell for well over $100., but as a group, the heavy metal shirts from the 1980s are currently in high demand and consistently sell.

1940s to 1970s Ray-Ban Sunglasses – There are many styles of vintage Ray-Ban sunglasses that consistently sell for over $100. on Ebay. The classic Aviators and Yellow Shooting Glasses with original case, paperwork and in excellent condition can sell for $300. or more.

Good Hunting!