The Polaroid has made its way back into popular culture, which means that vintage Polaroid cameras have jumped up the worth-it market. With most people taking pictures and videos on their phones, these items are cool throwbacks to having to wait a little bit longer – you didn’t have to get them developed, but you still shook it, just like the song says.
Some have gone for a few hundred dollars, and a Polaroid 120, made in 1960, has recently sold for $420. As the digital age moves on to bigger and better things, sometimes a flash of light and a printed picture is worth something after all.
Retro lunchboxes
We're reaching a little higher up the pay scale with this entry. Lunch boxes have been classy collector's items for years now since they're a perfect snapshot of the culture at the time of their release, featuring TV shows, rock bands, and celebrities, and they can turn out to be worth something wild if they're in good condition.
A vintage Bonanza lunch box brings in $130, and even a battered Beatles box can be worth about $400. Maybe keep some of your kid's plastic lunch boxes around, because who knows – one of them might be worth something.
Sega Genesis console
Ah, the Sega! This is where it all started. If you were into Mario and Sonic games back then, you’ll definitely remember this console.
If you happen to have one lying around in your home, you might end up with a few extra hundred smackaroos — or more. Whatever you do, don’t throw it away. If it is still in mint condition and working smoothly, hit the internet and sell it online because you could earn up to $2,000 for it. Now, that is a lot of cash for one console!
Vintage Soda Crates
Sure to be the most surprising item on this list, old wooden soda crates can command a pretty penny. You won't be buying a Mercedes with the earnings, but some Coca-Cola crates top out at almost two hundred bucks, with a yellow wooden crate from 1948 going that much on eBay. But even the weather-beaten offerings can bring in a hundred.
There's even a crate from the 1920s, almost a hundred years ago, that's been listed at $125! Is it just for the rarity? The retro style? We're unsure. It couldn't be too hard to make one of your own.
A Rare Edition of ‘Harry Potter’
The Harry Potter series has delighted millions of kids and adults the world over, and plenty of us have a copy of one book – or all seven – on our shelves. But it turns out some of the original copies of the first book are worth more than their weight in galleons.
Hardcover first edition printings of the 1997 book have become the biggest prize to Harry Potter collectors, worth anywhere between $40,000 and $55,000, but how can you tell? Look for a print line that reads “1 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1,” and credit given to one “Joanne Rowling,” not J.K. Rowling.