20 Common Garage Sale Finds That Can Be Surprisingly Valuable

In 2007, a family in New York bought what they thought was a simple white glazed bowl at a local garage sale for the bargain price of $3. Six years later, after the bowl’s true history and identity had been uncovered, the bowl was put on sale at Sotheby’s in New York and fetched a staggering $2.2 million. Far from being a simple ivory-colored fruit bowl, the bowl was a wildly valuable Chinese pot from the Northern Song Dynasty, and had somehow managed to make it through more than 1,000 years of turbulent history in one piece. There’s no guarantee that a priceless item of millennium-old pottery will show up at your local garage sale, of course, but these neighborhood sales can still be the source of a good bargain—and surprisingly valuable finds.ArtBakeliteBooksCamerasCast Iron KitchenwareCeramicsClothing—Especially LevisComic BooksCostume JewelryJadeiteLegacy ElectronicsMerchandisePyrexSports CardsSterling SilverTeddy BearsToolsUranium GlassVintage ToysVinyl RecordsArtIgnore the AI prints, paint-by-numbers, and kitsch kitchen slogans, and you might find some worthwhile art at your local garage sale. Even original works by relatively unknown local artists can still be worth more than their price tags (and there’s always the outside chance that what you’ve stumbled across might be the real deal). BakeliteBakelite necklaces and plexiglass bracelet | DEA / G. CIGOLINI/GettyImagesBakelite was one of the first synthetic plastics, and in its heyday in the 1920s and ‘30s was used to make everything from radio sets to kitchenware, jewelry, and toys. As it is no longer produced today, meaning that a finite number of pieces remain on the market, Bakelite has proved popular with collectors, many of whom will pay a considerable price for particularly impressive or fine items. Identifying it is a skill, however, but look for aged plastic items with a characteristically smooth surface, a woody sound when tapped, and a distinct if rather faint smell of formaldehyde—a natural consequence of its manufacturing. BooksMass-produced paperbacks might only be worth a dollar or two at a garage sale, but hidden among them might be a more valuable title that’s worth investing in. First and signed editions, understandably, are always going to be worth more than others, but check for pre-1950s titles that still have their dust jackets intact too. CamerasThe recent trend of re-embracing old-school tech among Millennials and Gen-Zers has seen old film cameras surge in value in recent years. Big-name brands like Leica and Canon can now be worth hundreds of dollars, so long as they’re still in working order. Cast Iron KitchenwareCast-iron pan | The Washington Post/GettyImagesWith people increasingly turning away from plastic and chemically nonstick kitchenware, old-fashioned cast iron pots and pans are becoming fashionable once again. Don’t be put off by a little tarnish either—cast iron can always be cleaned up and reused, so long as you’re not afraid of a little elbow grease (and have a good supply of Bar Keeper’s Friend).CeramicsExperts popularly use the acronym RADAR to remember the five things you should bear in mind when buying ceramics: rarity, aesthetics, desirability, authenticity, and really good condition. Familiar names are always worth keeping an eye out for, but be wary too of any damage; even a small chip or crack can lower the value by half. Clothing—Especially LevisNot all clothing is equally valuable, of course, but major names are always worth looking out for at garage sales. A $1.50 clutch bag bought at a thrift store was recently valued at $35,000 when it was found to be a rare Cartier Art Deco piece, so there’s clearly a chance of finding some buried treasure here. It’s not just the major European names like Chanel, Hermès, and Dior that are worth hanging on to, either—even pre-2000s Levi’s jeans might be worth something in the 2020s. Comic BooksIn 2024, a super-rare copy of Action Comics No. 1, the very first Superman comic, sold for a record $6 million at auction. You’re unlikely to find one of those while rummaging through the comic book piles at your garage sale, of course, but it’s worth looking more closely at anything from the so-called “Golden Age” of comic books from 1938–1956, and the “Silver Age” that followed it from 1956–1970. Costume JewelryGarage sale costume jewelry is often sold relatively inexpensively, for only a few cents or a dollar or two per item, or else in boxes or job lots. Both are worth investigating further, as valuable brooches, signed items, works by major names, and precious metals can often be hiding in the mix. JadeiteOpaque milky-green jadeite glassware was all the rage in the 1930s and 40s, but production continued long into the 1970s. It’s a wildly popular retro collectible today, with cups, bowls, and other crockery often fetching strong prices online. Be wary of any pieces with visible scratches, chips, or cracks, though, as they can severely limit the resale price.Legacy ElectronicsNintendo Game & Watch. A series of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo between 1980 and 1981 | Sjöberg Bildbyrå/GettyImagesMore than 100 million Nintendo Game Boys were sold during the handset’s heyday in the 1980s and ‘90s, but finding one in its original box with all the additions is remarkably rare today; working handsets can ultimately fetch hundreds of dollars. It’s not just the handsets either—game cartridges, handsets, early consoles, graphics cards, and all sorts of other legacy tech can still prove valuable. MerchandisePeople’s musical tastes can change, and bands and artists are forever falling in and out of fashion, so you might catch an old gig program or T-shirt knocking around a garage sale. Depending on who it is, how old it is, and how good of a condition it’s in, it might well be worth investing in, with some classic band T-shirts from the ‘80s and ‘90s now fetching thousands among fans and collectors today. PyrexPyrex kitchenware | GUILLAUME SOUVANT/GettyImagesComplete sets of Pyrex kitchenware might sell for a few hundred dollars, while individual dishes or bowls might only sell for a few dozen. Specific patterns and colors, though, can be worth thousands to collectors—so keep an eye out for the vintage all-caps “PYREX” label, as opposed to more modern lowercase version. Sports CardsAge, rarity, and big-name players and teams are all worth bearing in mind when it comes to sports cards, with some vintage cards now valued in the millions. You might not find anything as rare as that at a garage sale, of course, but there can still be treasure to be found here—in the form of both individual high-value cards and complete sets. Sterling SilverRandom pieces of solid silverware might be lurking among those job lots of old cutlery, so keep an eye out for labels like “STERLING” or “STER,” or purity marks above 900. Alternatively, a mark like “EP” or “EPNS” shows that an item is electroplated nickel silver, and so only lower-value plated metal. Teddy BearsIn 2003, an antique teddy bear bought for £130 (equivalent to around $275 today) at a boot sale in Wales was found to be a rare German Steiff teddy bear dating from 1905, and consequently revalued at £4,000–6,000 ($10,000–15,000) at auction. Famous names like Steiff (whose bears typically have a metal button among their ear fur) are always going to be valuable, and so are always worth looking out for in second-hand sales. ToolsGarage sales are often ideal places to source fully working tools at a fraction of their retail price, but when it comes to collectibles, it’s the older, more vintage names that are worth bearing in mind too. Postwar vintage Craftsman tools, from the 1940s and ‘50s, are particularly popular with collectors, for instance, but don’t shy away from modern items either—screwdriver sets, drill bit sets, and other comprehensive collections can be worth hundreds of dollars. Uranium GlassGoblet with hunting subject in uranium glass | DEA / A. DAGLI ORTI/GettyImagesSmall pieces of collectible uranium glassware can fetch $40 or $50 or so, but larger, more unusual pieces can be valued in the hundreds. Kitchenware is common, so rarer and more valuable pieces tend to be more ornamental—so keep an eye out for any striking or unusual ornaments, vases, lampstands, and candlesticks in particular. Vintage ToysThe likes of vintage and original Barbie dolls, GI Joes, Star Wars figurines, and Masters of the Universe models are always going to prove popular with toy collectors and fetch a pretty price at auction—especially if they’re in good condition and come with their original packaging. Vinyl RecordsVinyl Records | Newsday LLC/GettyImagesVinyl is making a comeback as music fans increasingly return to physical media, making original pressings of classic vinyl records more valuable than ever. The most valuable titles are always going to be by the biggest names, understandably, but playability and general condition—not just of the record itself, but of the cardboard sleeve too—are just as important.