Fed up with soaring inflation and sky-high energy bills? If the answer’s yes there’ s a way to beat the January blues – and it could be lying right under your nose.
Everyday items in your home, which you may never have considered valuable, could net you cash. Buying habits are forever-changing in the auction industry and desirable objects alter with every generation.
So while Ming Chines vases or a Banksy painting grab the headlines, there are plenty of objects nearly everyone amasses over time that could spark a bidding war. And yet many people are unaware of auction trends or, amid the frantic rush of daily life, simply can’t imagine untapped treasures lie dormant in the attic or under the bed.
But with bank balances under ferocious pressure, there’s no better time to realise the potential of unwanted objects. So what hot auction items could be gathering dust in your home?
Start with any paraphernalia your grown-up children left behind in their old bedroom. Gaming-related items are hot property. Hansons witnessed this trend emerging in May 2020 when boxes of old games and consoles that used to sell for around £40 suddenly started to achieve hundreds of pounds.
It’s a sector fuelled by nostalgia. People look back fondly at their formative years and eventually reach an age where they can afford to buy back memories. Think early Nintendo or Game Boy. Games, consoles and cards are in demand. The rarer the better, of course, but all types of items are sought after.
At the top end of the scale, a sealed Pokemon Fossil Set 1st Edition Booster Box comprising 36 unopened packs made £8,500. Likewise a rare sealed Nintendo Gameboy, Pokemon Red version, 1998, sold for £2,800. The gaming industry is huge so this sector will grow.
Toys in general are booming but it’s not just about rare Steiff teddies. A large collection of mid-1950s to early 1960s vintage toys and teddy bears, some a tad the worse for wear, sold for £180 from an estimate of £40-£50.
In addition, everything from your vintage Action Man to Cindy dolls or railwayana are in demand. Recently, a pristine Paddington Bear made £260 from a £60 guide price and two 19th century French fashion dolls achieved £1,700.
Loose coins in drawers? Three collectors’ edition sets featuring, among others, Winston Churchill and Duke of Wellington commemorative gold coins made £370. Then there was the 40 Chinese bank notes that reached £65 and the 1813 £1 Derby Bank note which achieved £110. Modest amounts maybe but a good return for something that may have been lying around for decades.
Old box of vinyl records covered in spiders’ webs in the garage? Many people now in their 50s, 60s or 70s have huge collections from their youth which they haven’t touched, let alone played, for years.
One rare LP – think Beatles first issue in good condition – might net net you £1,000. If you can bear to part with the lot, a large collection of vinyl records from the 1960s to 1980s recently achieved £320. Music memorabilia in general is popular. A set of 1960s Beatles figures make £210 from a £50-£60 guide.
Jewellery – gold,silver and costume – is another success story. It’s not unusual to see boxes of colourful beads, chains, rings and earrings, amassed over a lifetime and inherited. Their owners imagine nothing is valuable and are stunned when we pluck out precious gems.
Glittering successes include an amethyst and 18ct white gold ring which made £200 from a £50-£60 estimate and a box of jewellery including a 1965 Elizabeth II sovereign, various 9ct gold chains and a sapphire and diamond 18ct gold ring which made £1,700.
Designer watches are hot lots too. Like coins, they often end up forgotten in drawers. To give you an idea of what can be achieved, a 1991 gentleman’s Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Submariner 16610 automatic steel wristwatch sold for £6,800.
Designer wares in general are sought after such as handbags, sunglasses and scarves by makes like Gucci, Prada, Armani or Mulberry. A brown leather Mulberry bag in Hansons’ Jan 9 Fine Art sale has a £200-£300 estimate.
While you’re exploring the house never forget glass cabinets or sideboards. Any wedding or anniversary gifts tucked inside? Saved for best but never used by mums or grandmas? A set of early 20th century silver bon bon dishes made £130 from a £60 guide and a George V silver oval fruit basket, Sheffield 1927, James Dixon & Sons, made £180. Still on a silver theme, a collection of silver jewellery made £300 from a £60-£80 guide.
Finally, don’t dismiss any quirky collections. People collect everything from stamps and snuff boxes to beer mates and football cards – even money boxes! A vintage money box collection made £85. As the say, save the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
To book a free valuation, email [email protected] or call 01283 733988.
