Have you ever wondered what hidden gems might be under your own roof?
One of the top reasons to hire a professional estate sale expert is to help you uncover those hidden gems. Once these gems are uncovered, you need a trusted professional to price and advertise them properly to maximize your profit.
There are numerous top estate sale items. Here are a few examples of items buyers and collectors are lining up for.
Vinyl Records
That’s right your old dusty collection of vinyl records could actually be worth something!
In 2000 vinyl record sales were around 1.5 million. In 2021 Vinyl sales hit 41.7 Million. These numbers are for retail stores and don’t even include the secondary market like estate sales.
The hottest genres that you are likely to find at an estate sale are Rock, Jazz and Country.
Vintage Home Audio Equipment
Vintage really just means old, but it’s widely accepted to be in the 20-99 year old range.
If you have vintage audio equipment with glass tubes that’s a good sign you may have a high ticket top estate sale item. Names like Mcintosh, Marantz, and Sansui are just a few to keep a lookout for.
The rising interest in vinyl is raising the price of vintage record players that collectors used to overlook.
Vintage Clothing
A pair of Levis Jeans from a shipwreck sold for $114,000.
Vintage t-shirts from concerts, sports teams, and name brand clothing companies are highly sought after by collectors trying to get that certain look.
Surprisingly even bootleg or knock off vintage clothes are desirable. Some of the hottest gear related to The Simpsons Show are shirts known as “Bootleg Bart” T-Shirts. These unlicensed shirts might have only had 1000 original printings meaning they are very rare and command big money.
Vintage Chiefs gear has been a big draw to our recent estate sales.
Vintage Toys and Video Games
Collectors are willing to pay top dollar to recapture their childhoods.
Unopened or near mint toys and games can bring top money at an estate sale and even used toys and games might surprise you when you see how much they can bring.
Items like action figures from the 80’s and 90’s and legos are very popular estate sale items right now.
Game systems and games from Sega, Nintendo, and Atari are also very sought after. The boxes they came in are valuable, so don’t throw them away.
Advertising Signs
Metal and Porcelain advertising signs have really taken off in value in the last few years. Companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi have always been collectible but now just about any old metal advertising signage can bring good money.
Oil and Gas Signage are particularly desirable right now but advertising for soda’s, beer, and food are big draws for people at an estate sale.
Pyrex Bowls and Cookware
Vintage nesting bowls and cookware made by pyrex have a very strong and loyal following of collectors.
There are entire websites dedicated to helping identify pyrex and their different patterns.
A bowl set with a rare pattern can bring hundreds of dollars at an estate sale.
Mid-Century Furniture
Styles come in cycles and right now one of the top furniture styles is mid-century.
Furniture designers Eames, Wassily, Saarinen, Knoll and Evans are a few of the top tier well known names. A mid-century modern piece with the right look and designer name attached can sell for thousands.
It might surprise you what an unassuming piece of furniture designed by the right person might be worth. Chairs like the well known Eames Lounge Chair with Ottoman can command up to $7000 if they are in good shape with the original Brazilian Rosewood.
First Edition Books
1st Edition books are close to the author’s original intent and they are usually printed in smaller numbers for a smaller audience.
Establishing a book as a first edition can be tricky, especially when there has been more than one printing. Second editions are often only noted if there have been substantial changes to the text.
Trading cards
Pokemon and Magic the Gathering cards can demand big money! A PSA Graded Gem Mint Pokemon card sold for $6,000,000. That’s 6 million dollars for 1 card!
Singer Post Malone paid $800,000 for Black Lotus Magic the Gathering Card. Don’t expect cards of this magnitude to be in your kids collection but definitely think twice before letting them go for 50 cents at a garage sale.
Coins and Jewelry
Gold and silver value has risen and with it the price of coins and jewelry has risen. Even a small coin collection can command hundreds of dollars at an estate sale.
Gold jewelry with hallmarks like 18k, 14k,10k, 750, 585, and 375 mean that there is real gold in the jewelry.
The difference between solid gold, gold filled and gold plated is dramatic. A solid gold necklace vs the same gold plated necklace will be hundreds if not thousands of dollars.
Final Thoughts
Hiring a professional estate sale company with experience is key to a successful estate sale.
Anyone can walk in and slap random prices on your treasures, but it takes a group with knowledge and experience to uncover the treasures in your estate and maximize your profit.
