Basement Bounty: Turn Your Stash Into Cash

Basement Bounty: Turn Your Stash Into Cash

Many of us have our secret stash of “stuff” somewhere in our homes. You know, those items that we procrastinate getting rid of. If you have your own small hoard of “treasures,” you might just be able to turn that stash into cash! Check out our list of common household items that might be worth more than you think.

Quarters
Check your loose change for Kansas quarters—the ROI is amazing! A batch of these irregular quarters from 2005 are valued at around $10 each due to a coin pressing machine error. On some Kansas quarters, the print reads: “In God We Rust” instead of “In God We Trust.”

Perfume Bottles
Did you know there are auctions devoted solely to perfume bottles? It’s true. While the perfume itself isn’t worth much, rare glass perfume bottles made by companies like Lolique are worth around $100 to $200 each.

Typewriters
Your old typewriter might be worth $200 to $500 or more. Antique typewriters are among old household items worth a lot of money with the right buyer—as long as they’re in good shape and functional. The older the better, in terms of value, for this household item.

Grandma’s China Sets
If you have a vintage china set in storage, you might want to dust it off. Some sets go for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Vintage china sets from the early 1900s are especially valuable.

Boy Scout Memorabilia
According to Collectors Weekly, any Boy Scout memorabilia with the official Boy Scouts of America, Cub, Sea, and Air Scouts logos can be worth from $8 to over $1,100. If you have a vintage badge collection, it may also be valuable.

Cell Phones
There a few old phones that are worth quite a bit. The key here is that they need to be old. For example, a 1983 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, one of the first wireless phones, recently sold for $550. It’s definitely worth rummaging through your old electronics to see if you might have a hidden treasure.

Land Deeds
You may not ordinarily think about big dollars when it comes to old deeds, but if you have a deed to a home that belonged to someone famous or a World War I or II General, you may be in luck. Collectors like to scoop these up for at least a few hundred dollars each.

Classic Video Games
Those old video games that you played as a kid are worth a lot of money to adult collectors. Vintage cartridges of games such as Mario Kart 64 easily sell for hundreds of dollars. Super Nintendo games, PlayStation 4 and Chrono Tigger are also big-ticket collectibles, fetching up to $1,000 each.

Antique Christmas Ornaments
Did you inherit some hand-blown glass holiday ornaments? If so, you might want to check to see how much they are worth. In particular, a Kugel, which is a German pear-shaped ornament, could be worth up to $18,000. That would buy a lot of holiday gifts if you are willing to part with it!

Barbie Dolls
If you have older Barbie dolls, especially those from the 1950s and 1960s, you may want to dig them out and cash them in. Vintage dolls in good condition can be worth a few hundred dollars. Check out auction sites like eBay to see what your dolls are worth.

If you are doing some spring cleaning, take stock of what you have in storage and tag anything you might want to sell for some quick cash. You never know…you might be sitting on a small fortune!