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They say you can’t go back, but that’s not stopping people from spending tons of money on relics from their past. eBay helped to kickstart the online auction craze, but it’s not alone when it comes to big-ticket items. Sites like Heritage Auctions and RR Auction are giving eBay a run for its money.
Now’s the time to search your closet, basement, garage and attic. Look through those unpacked boxes from your last move or the ones you put in storage when your kids moved out. You probably have stuff lying around that you’ve never given a second thought to … and someone else may pay big bucks for it.
Yo Adrian, I could make you a fortune!
Remember recording your favorite movies and TV shows on VHS? I hope you didn’t record over an old film because some tapes are pretty valuable today.
Streaming is great and all, but it’s missing that tangible factor. How many of you grew up with a collection of VHS tapes? How fun were those trips to the video rental store?
Those memories come at a price. A sealed copy of “Jaws” sold for $32,500 at Heritage Auctions. And that’s not all. A set of the first three “Rocky” films on VHS sold for $53,750 earlier this year.
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Apple takes a big bite
Apple fans scramble to get the newest iPhone yearly, but the hardcore fan wants something extraordinary. A sealed model of the first iPhone sold for $63,000 in February.
Throw in some provenance and the numbers go through the roof. Steve Jobs’ very own Apple-1 prototype sold for $677,196 last August at RR Auction.
Gaming gold
You don’t need to be a video game fan to know who Mario is. The Mario Bros. franchise has expanded to every medium you can imagine, including a major motion picture that just came out.
In the summer of 2021, Heritage auctioned a “Super Mario 64” cartridge for $1.56 million. A similar game copy sold for just $31,000 at the same auction. What gives?
Good grades
The above example highlights the importance of an item’s condition to its value. The seven-figure “Mario 64” cartridge had a grade of 9.8 and was rated A++. The one that sold for $31,000 was graded at 8.5 and rated A+.
Grading has been around for a long time, especially for comic books and sports cards. Now grading companies are accepting other forms of physical media like VHS tapes and video game cartridges. The items are assigned a score and sealed in plastic cases for protection.
The grading process itself usually means an item will sell for more. Let’s say you have two copies of the original “Star Wars” on VHS in identical condition. You send one in for grading, then put both up for sale. The graded one will likely fetch a higher price since there’s uncertainty around non-graded merchandise.
Grading isn’t cheap, so you should weigh the potential benefits of sending your stuff in to get a score vs. how much money it’ll bring in ungraded.
Start digging!
Here are 20 more completed sales from eBay, Heritage Auctions RR Auction and Goldin:
- Mickey Mantle rookie card: $12.6 million.
- Pokémon “Pikachu” Illustrator trading card: $840,000.
- Joe DiMaggio jersey: $564,000.
- First edition hardcover of “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”: $471,000.
- “King Kong” movie poster from 1933: $388,375.
- Topps Chrome Gold Refractor LeBron James rookie card: $204,000.
- Jesse James’ Revolver: $62,500.
- 1920s 5.7-carat diamond and platinum solitaire engagement ring: $54,685.
- “Superman” on Betamax: $40,000.
- Bill Gates’ TRS-80 Model 100 portable computer: $25,000.
- Nike Air Jordan 4 Retro: $22,200.
- Detective Comics #66: $14,250.
- Sands Casino gambling chip: $12,000.
- “X-Men #1″ comic book: $11,190.
- Apollo 11 crew signed photographs: $9,279.
- Sharp “The Searcher-W” GF-1000 boombox: $5,200.
- Paul McCartney signed ticket stub: $2,825.
- Lincoln penny from 1962: $2,559.
- Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympics tickets: $963.
- Burberry vintage Continental wallet: $579.
The above prices include buyer’s fees. Remember that the auction houses take a cut of all sales!
Keep reading
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Have any of these old video game accessories lying around? They’re worth a fortune