Every week someone asks me if Beanies have any value. At one point people were paying a fortune for 'rare' ones but let me just say that that craze is over and for the most part they are worth nothing - just donate them. We actually got a storage unit with a bunch of new dealer bags full of them and this was one of the only lots we even sold.
This piece was so awful that it was too good to pass up. I actually thought it would be worth more. It had a few scratches which I was planning to touch up but I just didn't have the time to fool with it so out of my life she went and all I got was a $100 bill.
Chessmen are another thing I've come to have an eye for as sometimes the value can be surprising.
This was a very obscure piece but it did sell in a timely manner for a fair price. We rarely get gold coins and diamond rings so finding strange things like this this a new home is where we shine and has become my specialty.
Yes, this is actually a blade from an old warbird plane. It's not something we find everyday and pricing things like this can be tricky but I knew it would sell fast and sure enough, it flew out the door.
Just looking at this I knew it was killer. Anything cloisonné seems to be hot all of a sudden and a collector in China of all places paid up for this.
This little guy was mixed in with a bunch of newer toy cars but I know to always hunt for that hidden treasure. Not a huge sale but it found a good home and the $30 helps keep my wheels turning for the next pick.
We ran a lead a few months ago and all I got was this stupid pig. I wasn't able to make a deal with the customer but they actually just gave me this thing as consolation. Of course, I knew it was so awful someone would want it so I took the pity offering with no hard feelings.
Just another old lamp. Not a great price but it found a good home and that's a big part of what we do.
Viewers know I love vintage lighting as well as advertising so it was no surprise a piece like this sold for a nice price.
Any type of vintage advertising swag is in demand these days and Coke pieces are at the top of the hot list.
Once again, anything decorative from the middle 20th century is popular these days. Most people threw away stuff like this when it went out of style so some people will now pay a premium for the nostalgia.
Old nostalgic collectibles like this will usually sell fairly well but the values have dropped in recent years and condition plays a huge part in the price.
Most toys and models made in the past 20 years generally don't have much resale value. However some items in certain genres have a following all over the world and someone in Australia paid a hefty price for this piece
We love selling old obsolete pieces like this. Great man-cave / garage decor!
My son got a new game system for Christmas so we went to trade our old system and games in for a store credit. The clerk pointed out to me that this game was of special value and I'd be much better off trying to sell it on eBay. Sure enough I sold it in a day for ten times the trade value. Of all people you would think I would know enough to check my own stuff. Sometimes the work to make that extra money isn't worth the effort and that's why we're here to help.
The market for antique furniture is not so good, Years ago pieces like this would easily sell for $1500 or more - in this day and age, we were happy this one found a good home and sold for $700
Even a common household item still in the box from 50 years ago is almost always going to sell for a good price.
Like I've said, some old pieces are still in demand but it can take time to find a buyer so with some things we really have to know where to be on pricing. Measure twice and cut once!
If you think about it, a mail order toy from the back of a comic book ad from fifty years ago is not something that was meant to last which is exactly why it has good value.
Good old stuff like this is still in demand, but prices have gone down in recent years and the audience is much smaller which is why modern antique dealers like us rely on eBay to find the buyers.
Anything from the Native American culture will be of some value with the exception of stuff made in the latter half of the 20th century as newer pieces are regarded by collectors as being 'commercial' quality.
Toys and games always have a strong following and people from all over the world collect them. Some forgotten titles can be worth a pirate's treasure :)
Can you believe at one time people would pay a parking ticket by putting money in a curb-side box? Anything old related to transportation is always of interest.
We never underestimate anything as silly as it may seem. An old brand like Steiff still has a good following of collectors.