Staying Fit
If you're cleaning out your closets this summer, you might wonder why you kept your copy of The Beatles (known as the White Album since its release in 1968). And if your copy is scratched, with Cheez-Its mashed between the double covers, well, you have reason to wonder.
On the other hand, if you have a copy in excellent condition, you could get $240, depending on the shape it’s in and whether it includes the poster of all four Beatles. And if you somehow have the first copy of the album pressed, formerly owned by Ringo Starr, you could probably get at least $790,000 — which is what Ringo got for it in 2015.
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Of course, you never know whether something is valuable until you research it. A Raleigh, North Carolina, collector looked in an old lunch box that had been passed down from his great-uncle to his father. Inside was a 1910 baseball card of Shoeless Joe Jackson, a legendary hitter whose name was forever tarred by his part in fixing the 1919 World Series. The card sold for $492,000 at auction in May 2020, according to Heritage Auctions.
Although you might not find something as valuable as a Shoeless Joe Jackson card, it could be worth your time to look for a few treasures in the attic (or garage, basement, shed or storage unit). Here are 10 of the hottest collectibles you might find.
Action figures
As long as there have been movies, little kids have played with action figures. Now that they’ve grown up, they collect them. A Star Wars Boba Fett rocket-firing prototype figure from 1979 fetched $236,000 in June 2022, according to WorthPoint, a site that records prices for collectibles. And a 1985 Transformer gift set of all six Constructicons (Bonecrusher, Scavengers, Scrapper, Hook, Long Haul and Mixmaster) — which, as everyone knows, combine to form Devastator — sold for $25,370 in March 2023.
Barbies
Barbie made her appearance in March 1959, and has been sought after by collectors since then. The release of Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling has stirred more interest in Mattel’s famous doll. An original 1959 Barbie — in the box — is currently selling on eBay for $300,000. “I’m keeping an eye on the Ken dolls,” says Amy Moyer, proprietor of antmuffin: Art, Antiques and Collectibles. A 1992 Earring Magic Ken is currently on sale on eBay for $202.50.