The Top 40 Collectibles That Are Actually Worth Big Money

If an older member of your family just so happened to attend the 1927 World Series, then listen up. Assuming that they held on to their ticket stub, you could be sitting on a hugely valuable item here. Yes, Investing.com noted that these pieces of baseball history can bring in more than $40,000 today. No joke! Keep your eyes open, folks.

To say that Nike Air Jordan 1s were very popular when they first dropped would be a massive understatement. Seriously, these sneakers were a defining piece of 1980s fashion upon their release that decade. So, it shouldn’t be too surprising to hear that the “originals” are worth big money today. Specifically, we’re talking around $560,000. Wow.

Beanie Babies were all the rage in the ’90s. They were seemingly everywhere! But one in particular really caught the eye of collectors. Following Princess Diana’s tragic passing in 1997, a Beanie Baby was made to benefit the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Now, those cute purple bears are said to be valued at over $20,000. Think of what you could do with that cash!

Hands up if you were among the lucky customers to taste McDonald’s limited-run Mulan Szechuan Sauce in the past? We’re a little jealous! Anyway, if you kept hold of a pack for a rainy day, this news could blow your socks off. Thanks to a funny reference in the TV show Rick and Morty, the condiment made headlines again in 2017. And it prompted someone to sell an old packet for $14,700 online.

For those of you who don’t know, Charles Lindbergh was a famous airman nearly a century ago. He flew from New York to France without stopping in May 1927. No one else had accomplished that feat up until then. In celebration, 200 matchbooks were created with Lindbergh illustrated on the front for a get-together at the Big Apple’s Astor Hotel that June. By 2015, these collectibles could fetch $6,000.

Got a collection of vintage lighters up in your attic? Well, dust them off and check if a 1933 Zippo is among their number. You see, those particular items are worth a lot of cash nowadays. Investing.com reported that some have been valued at up to $18,000 during auctions. We’re serious!

If you were a child of the 1970s and ’80s, we’ve got a question for you — do you still have your old toys in storage? Assuming that you said yes, you could be sitting on an absolute goldmine. For instance, Darth Vader figurines from Kenner’s Star Wars line in 1978 have been valued at close to $45,000 today. Holy smokes.

Calling all Garbage Pail Kids fans — this next entry is sure to grab your attention. The famous “sticker trading cards” from the 1980s boasted quite the list of characters, including Nasty Nick. Now, compared to the rest, his #1A card was extremely rare, which makes it very valuable today. If you’ve got one in a perfect state, you might earn just under $8,000 for it. Amazing, right?

The Masters of the Universe Eternia Playset is no joke. This beast is absolutely huge, dwarfing everything that Mattel had created going into 1986. Yet for as awesome as it looks, the size might’ve worked against it. The sales figures weren’t great. For those of you who did pick it up, though, you could walk away with nearly $10,000 by selling it now. By the Power of Grayskull!

Here’s a cool piece of trivia for you. When David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs vinyl hit the shelves in 1974, ten of them boasted a “non-airbrushed” front cover, unlike the rest. Now, if you’re one of the lucky few to own a copy, your wallet might receive a welcome boost. Yes, Investing.com reported that a person offloaded theirs via eBay for a sum of $3,550.

Ah, Polly Pocket. What a blast from the past! These cool toys delighted little girls everywhere for a spell, but one particular item could fetch a pretty penny nowadays. It’s the 1992 Partytime Stampers playset. Incredibly, collectors have been willing to spend roughly $5,000 to get their hands on them. Would you jump at that price?

Thanks to their unique appearance, Blythe Dolls really do stand out from the crowd. They’re hard to miss! Plus, should you happen to own a doll from Kenner’s original 1972 run, you might make a stack of cash by selling. As per Investing.com, their valuation sits at around $2,000. Tempted?

Are you a coin collector? If so, keep this in mind when you next sort through your stash. As a result of a blunder in the manufacturing process, 40 copper pennies were created in 1943. At that time, the material wasn’t utilized to make money. Instead, it was required for the war effort. So these coins are very rare, boasting values of $60,000 to $200,000. Time to crack open your childhood piggy bank!

When it comes to naming uncommon Hot Wheels cars, the 1969 Volkswagen Beach Bomb is right up there. Apparently, less than 150 “prototypes” were created back then, and only 50 of them are still around today. For that reason, these toys have a minimum value of $72,000. Could you have one hiding in the attic?

Fans of the Back to the Future franchise were given quite the surprise in 2011 and 2016. Yep, Nike finally unveiled the MAGs line — the sneakers you see in Back to the Future Part II. They had two small releases across the aforementioned years, and now those shoes can give your finances a huge boost. Their value stands at over $92,000. Great Scott!

After coming up with the idea in 1944, Denmark’s Philip Arctander brought his “Clam Chair” design to IKEA some ten years later. From there, they worked together to produce the classic line. Now, should you still own any of them, Investing.com stated that they’re worth roughly $64,000. Holy cow.

The next time you skim through your baseball card collection, keep your eyes peeled for this vintage item. Yes, the highly-coveted Honus Wagner card is exceptionally rare, as a little over 50 were ever released. Apparently, the sports star shut down production of his own card! One of these bad boys brought in $6.6 million at an auction in 2021. No, we’re not pulling your leg!

Is Action Comics No.1 the most famous comic book of all time? It has to be, right? Remember, this was the publication that introduced Superman to the world in 1938. Only 200,000 units were released, and now it can fetch huge money. As per Investing.com, a copy in good condition has a value of more than $3 million. Could you have one stashed away in your collection?

Barbie dolls changed the game when they made their debut back in 1959. There literally was nothing like them on the shelves in toy stores at the time. And of course, they’ve only increased in popularity over the following decades. But if you’re fortunate enough to own one of the originals, you could earn over $27,000 by selling it. No wonder Barbie looks so smug!

If you’re a long-time Nintendo fan, then you must’ve heard of Stadium Events. It was one of the most uncommon games for the Nintendo Entertainment System in America. Just 200 units popped up in 1987. Famous for its “exercise mat,” these things are valued at more than $41,000 today.

Do you collect old movie memorabilia? Yes? Awesome. When you get a chance, have a look to see if there’s an original poster for 1931’s Dracula in your possession. As it turns out, these pieces are worth a fortune nowadays. We’re talking in excess of $525,000 here. That’s life-changing money!

In case you didn’t know, Breyer Horses are responsible for producing some of the coolest equine miniatures on the market. In 2008, though, the people there took things to another level. At that year’s BreyerFest gathering, a beautiful “Alborozo model” was unveiled. Just 6,000 of them were up for grabs. Now, Investing.com claims you could sell one for $22,000.

We’ve got a question for you, folks. Did you, or any other members of your family, attend Super Bowl VI back in 1972? If so, we hope you didn’t dump your tickets afterwards. Amazingly, they can bring in a lot of money when put up for auction now. The figure usually starts at around $3,500 and only goes up from there.

Star Wars characters don’t come much cooler than Boba Fett. And guess what? His vintage toys can be extremely valuable if left in the original packaging. Investing.com noted that collectors are willing to pay roughly $32,000 to get their hands on the boxed action figures. It’s time to check your old toy chests again!

While the Apple I computer is an historic piece of equipment, it wasn’t on the market for long. Yep, it made way for the Apple II just 18 months after dropping in April 1976. For those who didn’t throw the thing out, though, they could be sitting on a life-changing treasure. Incredibly, auction houses have sold Apple Is for sums ranging between $175,000 and $475,000 over the years.

No folks, Nasty Nick isn’t the only member of the Garbage Pail Kids to have a highly valuable trading card! Adam Bomb is on that list, too. Providing that you’ve managed to keep the item in good shape, you could walk away with $3,000 by selling it now. Talk about easy money.

When Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, as it’s known outside America, first came out, it had a limited hardback run in the United Kingdom. Now, those books from 1997 are high-price items at auction houses. Apparently, they can fetch up to $45,000. How magical!

As a format, VHS has long been defunct. Yet that doesn’t mean certain tapes aren’t valuable today. For instance, 1994’s Black Diamond edition of The Fox and the Hound is a very pricey item online. According to Investing.com, users have been selling their copies of the Disney movie for around $1,500 via eBay.

It’s fair to say that the Sony Walkman changed the way we listened to music forever. The product definitely has a place in the history books. How much are they worth nowadays, though? Well, if you were to put an “original” player up for sale on auction websites, you stand to make $500. Think of the tunes you could buy with that!

The world was first introduced to G.I. Joe back in 1964. While the figurines proved to be a huge hit with kids, though, their staggeringly-high manufacturing bills led Hasbro to pull the plug. Bet you didn’t know that! The toys did eventually make a comeback, but those first-run units are worth a lot of dough now. Previous auction sales have reached $200,000. Crazy, right?

Okay folks, this is going to sound like a strange question, but bear with us. Do you own any Original Levi’s 501 jeans from the 19th century? Maybe past relatives handed them down the family tree! You see, Levi’s got its start in 1853 and recently went on to buy an early pair of its pants for nearly $50,000. Meanwhile, some different slacks brought in $60,000.

Are you a big Pyrex collector? Well, we’ve got some good news for you. A few of those items are worth a significant amount of money nowadays. Take the 1959 Pyrex Casserole Dish as an example. Investing.com reported that its value stands at around $4,000. That's enough money to buy hundreds of casseroles!

For close to four decades, the Dunes Hotel was a popular place for those visiting Las Vegas, Nevada. It eventually shut-up shop in 1993, yet memories of the location still live on thanks to its old blue and red card decks. Luckily, these packs haven’t been lost to time, and they’re worth quite a bit now. Specifically? You’re looking at $1,250.

Don’t scoff at stamp collecting — not only is it a relaxing hobby, but certain items could make you rich as well! One of the more famous examples is the 1856 1-Cent Magenta Stamp from British Guiana. Since it was uncovered in a cellar stockpile in the 1870s, it’s been auctioned off on numerous occasions. The latest figure stood at $9.5 million. So much money for a tiny strip of paper!

We don’t blame you if you refused to throw out your childhood teddy bears as an adult. They’re too cute to dump! Plus, the toys hold a lot of potential value on the financial side of things as well. Steiff products are very pricey in that respect. One Steiff Teddy Bear was even auctioned off at over $171,000 in the past. Would that be enough to say goodbye to your furry pal?

Few franchises helped define the 1980s quite like Transformers. To say it was huge wouldn’t be doing it justice. Both the show and the toys were hits with kids at the time. And if you’ve kept hold of those old sets, you could be on course for a sizable windfall. Yep, the 1984 Hasbro Optimus Prime Series 1 Transformer can fetch up to $9,500 from collectors today.

Back in the late 1990s, Japan’s CoroCoro publication challenged its readers to produce art celebrating the Pokémon franchise. In return, the “best” efforts would earn designers an incredible reward — the Pikachu Illustrator Pokémon Card. It’s as rare as they come, with Investing.com stating that its value sits at close to $55,000.

Have you got any home run balls stored away in your attic? If so, keep hold of them — you never know how valuable they might become with time! You only need to look at the baseball that marked Mark McGwire’s 70th round tripper. A year later, someone splashed $3 million for it in 1999.

Want to know how expensive a single-digit license plate number can be? Well, hold on to your hats, folks! A bidder at an Abu Dhabi auction house picked one up for more than $14 million. But what about this for a twist? The guy didn’t actually have that money, so he was put in prison on fraud charges. Yikes.

As we’ve already noted, Disney VHS tapes can be worth a lot of money nowadays, which is great news if you’ve got a big collection. Beauty and the Beast is especially valuable for collectors on the hunt. According to Investing.com, one person dropped around $14,500 to get their hands on the video. Disney fans will always drop bank on memorabilia — it's a tale as old as time!