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.
Polaroid Cameras
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.
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.
Duck Decoys
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.
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.