40 Garage Sale Finds That Could Secretly Be Worth a Ton

As shows like American Pickers have proven, one man's trash can definitely be another man's treasure. It's easy to mistake that old ring from mom's house or the dusty painting sitting in the attic for nothing more than junk. But then you hear about assumed costume jewelry that's suddenly worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and priceless artwork by the greats selling for tons at a thrift shop. Our point? A good fortune could be hiding just around the corner. So if your neighbors are having a garage sale soon, you might want to keep your eyes peeled for the following wares. Disguised as ordinary items, they might actually be worth big money.

The first Christmas ornaments sold commercially were made by a German manufacturer in the 19th century. Today, the heavy, glass-blown ornaments known as "kugels" can fetch anywhere from $50 to more than $1,000. Identify them by their vibrant colors and fruit shapes, like apples and berries.

You might have seen the documentary Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? about the truck driver who bought a near-priceless Jackson Pollock painting at a yard sale for $5. Blockbuster finds like this are rare, but not unheard of—it just might pay to stock up on art the next time you go garage sale shopping.

From Lite-Brites—no longer in production and now worth as much as $300—to a first-edition Barbie released in 1959 and valued at $8,000, vintage toys can have incredible resale value. If you're going hunting for Barbie No. 1, look for the doll sporting a zebra-striped bathing suit, with holes in the bottom of her feet.

Okay, so chances are you aren't going to score a $35 million Gutenberg Bible at a yard sale, since there are only 49 in existence. But that doesn't mean you can't scoop up a rare tome that can bring in the bacon when resold. The key is to find first editions of popular books in great condition, like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which recently sold for $80,000.

It's estimated that the global resale market for athletic shoes has reached $2 billion and among the most prized are Nike's iconic line of Air Jordans. The value of them varies by model, but one of the snazziest pairs is the Jordan 1 Retro Legends of Summer Red Glitter. Created for the 2013 Justin Timberlake/Jay-Z tour, they've resold for $7,000.

Vintage kitchenware like Pyrex can go for thousands, but if you happen across antique-looking pottery you also might want to snap it up. In 2013, a 1,000-year old Chinese bowl bought for $3 at a yard sale was auctioned off for more than $2 million.

Diamonds really are a girl's best friend—especially when you buy a ring at a yard sale for a few dollars and it turns out to be worth $850,000. At nearly 27 carats, the ring's stone was so big it looked like costume jewelry, so it was decades before the ring's new owner had it appraised and learned its true value.

When perusing comic book piles at garage sales, it's a good idea to keep your eyes open for The Man of Steel. The first comic that Superman appeared in resold for $3.2 million, and others can go for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

We're not talking about designer duds you can resell on eBay, although those finds can bring in cold, hard cash, too. Sometimes sellers accidentally leave big ticket items in pockets, handbags, and the like when they put them out at their garage sales. In 2013, a California woman forgot to take an $18,000 pair of earrings out of a jacket before selling it for $20.

Vintage model trains are highly collectible, and this means big bucks for the right choo choo. A 1908-14 Lionel 8 Trolley is going for $7,500 on eBay.

It's not unusual to find old records at garage sales. What is unusual is to buy one for 75 cents at a sidewalk sale and turn around and sell it on eBay for $25,000. While you might not unearth a super-rare Velvet Underground record like that one, plenty of more common vinyl treasures could still net hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Invented in 1858 by John Landis Mason, these handy glass jars with the airtight seals were first used for canning. Nowadays the rarest kinds, like those stamped with an upside-down logo that were used as dispensers, could sell for around $1,000.

Obsolete technology or not, collectors will pay serious cash for rare VHS tapes. As you paw though the piles of them you often see at garage sales, look for Disney "Black Diamond" editions of movies like The Fox and the Hound. It's estimated to be worth nearly $1,500.

If you came of age in the 80s, chances were good you had a Walkman. The beloved audio cassette player was in everyone's hands—or on their hips—back then. Today, nostalgia has bumped the resale value of models like the blue TPS-L2 up to as much as $500.

We've all heard the rumors that millennials' rejection of material goods has erased the value of things like sterling silver flatware. But antique silver can still command thousands of dollars on eBay, so it remains a potentially valuable garage store find.

Whether or not you can play a lick, buying that old axe sitting in the corner of the garage sale can bring big returns. Used guitars from esteemed brands including Martin, Taylor, and Gibson can sell for thousands on sites like Reverb.

There are usually at least a few old tools available at garage sales, and although they probably don't look like treasures they just might be. Antique and rare tools can hold enormous value, like a wrench for the John Deere Dain all-wheel drive, four-cylinder, three-wheel tractor. In 2009, one sold for $15,000.

Germany's Black Forest isn't just known for great cake—cuckoo clocks from the region are prized by collectors. Even new ones in good condition can be resold for hundreds of dollars, while antiques go for even more, like the Johann Baptist Beha clock recently auctioned for $8,000.

They're not only beautiful, but handmade antique Persian rugs can regularly sell for a few hundred dollars on up into the millions. The most expensive ever auctioned was a rug from the 17th century, which went for a cool $33 million in 2013.

The finest china made, bone china can be valued at as much as $100 a piece. To ensure that the place setting you're looking over is bone china, hold it up to the light. If it appears nearly see through, it's bone china. The most valuable comes from England; look for a crown or similar emblem on the back to determine if it's British.

Baseball cards have long been purchased, collected, traded, and sold by baseball-loving kids who often carry the passion for the memorabilia into adulthood. In 2016, the T206 Honus Wagner card from 1909-1911 set a world record when it sold for $3.12 million, the most ever paid for a baseball card.

Vintage rods, reels, and the like can bring in the Benjamins at auction, and so can lures, which can go for as much as $100,000.

It's amazing what you can pick up at a garage sale...like a 1917 stock certificate for 1,625 shares of an oil company that would later merge with Coca-Cola. The certificate was tucked away in a box of papers the buyer purchased, so it wasn't until later he discovered its modern value had soared to a jaw-dropping $130 million.

Antique American trunks in good condition generally might be worth a few hundred dollars. But if you are dreaming of a garage sale super-score, bring home a trunk from the luxury French design house Louis Vuitton. A brass Louis Vuitton Explorer trunk from 1888 sold at auction in 2019 for $159,200.

If you happen to find one of these beautiful timepieces tucked away at a garage sale you might want to buy it. Pocket watches can sell for mega-money, like the world's most expensive, a 1920 Patek Philippe Supercomplication. In 2014 it sold for $24-million.

You've probably passed up old computers at garage sales, thinking "what could it be worth?" The answer is...lots. A 1976 Apple 1 computer built by Steve Jobs is currently listed on eBay for $1,750,000, along with a variety of other brands and models valued at thousands of dollars.

The bad news is that most used U.S. postage stamps from the last seven decades are virtually worthless. The good news is that there are stamps that still sell for the kind of money that you and your extended family could retire on, like the British Guiana One-Cent Magenta. It was auctioned in 2014 for $9.48 million.

It might seem odd buying photos of other people's friends and family at garage sales. If you get lucky, however, it could be worth millions—like the image of Billy the Kid discovered in a thrift store and since appraised at $5 million.

There isn't anyone who's watched Antiques Roadshow that doesn't dream of hearing that their garage sale find is worth a fortune. In 1998, a New Jersey teacher lived that dream when she brought in her $25 table, which was appraised at up to $300,000. It later sold at auction for $541,500.

If you ever run across a vintage stove or refrigerator at a yard sale and it's in good condition, snatch it up. Thanks to all the love mid-century looks for the home have been getting lately, vintage kitchen appliances by brands like O'Keefe & Merritt are going for thousands on eBay.

There is something incredibly romantic about the clickety-clack old typewriter keys make, which could be one of the reasons the machines are highly collectible. Antique typewriters from brands including Underwood usually sell for a hundred or two, but in 2014 a Remington No. 1 was sold on eBay for $27,000.

They might not look it at first glance, but handmade antique duck decoys can sell at auction for the high six figures. Even less-prized decoys go for hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, on Chairish.

There are entire auctions dedicated to these prized pieces of glass. When browsing garage sales, look out for those in mint condition, with their original packaging—and the older, the better. One of the more collectible examples, Lalique 's “Les Sirenes” Flacon Collection Perfume bottle, is worth up to $500.

Gamers can't get enough of old school favorites like Mario Kart 64, which sells for hundreds now. If you get lucky and snatch up a much rarer find, like Nintendo's Stadium Events, you could net more than $35,000 for it.

Thanks to our nostalgia for the good old days, there will always be a market for Americana. Vintage signs and advertisements for everything from Coca-Cola to Chevrolet go for thousands on eBay, but keep in mind the bigger the sign, the better the money.

Since the day of the silent screen, Americans have loved going to the movies. That love has helped turn film memorabilia into big business, with items like a 1932 poster from The Mummy going for a half-million dollars at auction. But posters from more recent classics are worth money, too—the original spaceship version of the poster for 1982's E.T. is valued at around $4,000.

We're not talking any old shirt of course, but vintage concert tees, along with those featuring an advertising logo or slogan splashed across them are hot right now and can fetch hundreds. A t-shirt from the 1990 Reading music festival in England has been listed on Etsy for almost $14,000.

Often as sweet and appealing as the treats they hold, decorative cookie jars date back to the 1930s. Look for manufacturers including American Bisque, McCoy Pottery, and McKee Glass Company for some of the oldest, and most sought-after examples, which can sell for for more than $600.

If it seems like the type of item not many people would be interested in, that's okay. Successful musicians and music producers might pay thousands for a vintage mic like the handmade Neumann M49 Tube Condenser Microphone from 1951. It was listed on eBay for $12,500.

Vintage auto parts aren't just used in cars anymore. Hubcaps, hood ornaments, and other items are collectible in their own right and interior designers often repurpose goodies like head and tail lights to lend spaces a trendy industrial vibe. in 2012, a 30-piece collection of Lalique hood ornaments sold for $805,000.