While duck decoys are no longer used today because of advances in decoy materials and technology, these wooden duck decoys are now considered highly collectible. There are entire auction houses dedicated to buying and selling vintage duck decoys, known as magnificent works of folk art.
Duck decoys became highly collectible in the mid-20th century, and prices have never been higher for these items. If you’ve inherited one, you could earn up to hundreds of thousands of dollars at an auction.
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.
Ozark Pottery
Morton Pottery made these mini vases, and they're just one example of the earthy swirled pottery popularized by Midwestern and Ozark-area makers like Niloak and Nemadji in the 1920s and '30s. Even though they only measure four inches tall, these pretty cases pack quite the decorative punch.
Often sold as roadside souvenirs, these colorful vessels are widely known as "tourist pottery." Larger vases (12-plus inches tall) with maker's marks can be worth upward of $300.
Original Cracker Jack Poster
That much for a poster? Incredible, you might think, but when a Wisconsin police officer was going through his barn he found one of these old posters, printed in 1915. A baseball card-collecting friend notified the officer it could be worth something major. Something so old, and so historic, and in such good condition is surely worth a bundle, and it was eventually sold by the Mile High Card Company for an eye-popping $61,000.
I’ll be back in a bit; I'm going to go look through all my old junk. If I find something pricey, the article ends here.