The box in the attic has been there since your grandmother moved. Maybe you carried it down once, poked around, and put it back. But some of what's in there, or sitting on a shelf, or gathering dust in the spare room, is actively wanted. Not passively “kind of collectible” wanted. Hunted. There are people with search alerts set up for this stuff right now.
The items below aren't trophies. Most of them turn up at estate sales, in storage units, and in the back of closets all the time, often unrecognized for what they are. A few are genuinely rare. All of them have real collector markets, and the condition caveat applies to every single one: pristine means money, heavily played means much less.
Kenner Star Wars vinyl cape Jawa (1977-78)
When Kenner shipped the first 12 Star Wars figures in 1978, the Jawa was the smallest in the line but priced the same as the bigger characters. To make him feel more substantial, Kenner quickly switched from a flat vinyl cape to a cloth robe with a sewn hood. The vinyl cape version had already shipped, but only for around six months. The result is one of the most actively hunted pieces in all of vintage Star Wars collecting.
Loose examples in clean condition with the original cape intact bring $1,500 to $3,000. On the original 12-back card, values climb to several thousand and beyond. A cloth-cape Jawa is worth around $25 in comparable condition, which tells you everything about the premium the vinyl generates. The capes have been extensively reproduced, so authentication matters enormously. A genuine original has a fine cross-hatched texture on one face and a slight sheen on the other. If both sides are equally shiny, it's a reproduction. The Galactic Collector has a clear breakdown of the identification tells. The figure itself has a subtle difference at the left thumb, and the face sculpt differs slightly from the standard cloth-cape version. When in doubt about a cape, pass until you can get expert verification.
Hot Wheels 1968 Custom Camaro, rare spectraflame colors
The Custom Camaro was the first Hot Wheels car Harry Bradley designed, and very possibly the first one produced at Mattel's Sunnyvale factory in late 1967. Part of the original “Sweet Sixteen” lineup released in 1968, it came in a candy-metallic Spectraflame finish that let the metal shine through the paint. The car was produced in both Hong Kong and the USA, and the two versions have distinct differences: the Hong Kong casting has door lines on the sides and a more detailed underside, while early US examples have kidney-bean shaped holes in the base.
Common colors like blue and red in decent shape bring $250 to $400 loose, but the rarer finishes are where serious money lives. Creamy pink, rose, brown, and olive push into the $600 to $1,800 range for clean examples, with the enamel white version a prototype with only a handful known. Early Hong Kong examples with deep-dish wheels on all four corners and a painted tail panel matching the body color are the most desirable of the standard production run. Spectraflame has depth and metallic flake that repaints can't replicate, and any car that's been stripped and refinished is worth a fraction of an original. The Online Redline Guide documents every known variation with photos for comparison.
Pyrex Butterprint “Lady on the Left” reverse print
Most Pyrex Butterprint from 1957 to 1968 shows a female Amish figure on the right side of the design. On a small number of pieces, she appears on the left instead, a printing anomaly collectors call the “Lady on the Left” or reverse Butterprint. These aren't just slightly unusual. They're rare enough that a single small bowl in this variant sold for $2,100, and a full reverse Butterprint set commands far more than a standard set in comparable condition.
Standard Butterprint in clean condition, no chips, no dishwasher fade, with matching lids, typically brings $200 to $500 for a complete four-piece set. The reverse print is in a completely different category. To identify it, hold the bowl with the handle facing you: the woman should be on the right. If she's on the left, start researching. Condition matters enormously for any Pyrex: dishwasher use fades the print and faded pieces lose most of their value. The orange pumpkin Butterprint colorway, only available through S&H Green Stamp redemption and never sold in stores, is also considerably rarer than the standard turquoise on white.
Evel Knievel stunt cycle, 1973 Ideal, complete with energizer
Ideal released the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle in time for Christmas 1973 and it became the toy of the year. You clicked the motorcycle onto the energizer, wound the handle, let it fly, and watched it tear across the floor. Most of them got broken. That's the point. Which is also why complete, unplayed examples are genuinely hard to find five decades later.
For an unopened example in a near-mint box, value runs over $1,000. A complete set in working condition with the box, figure, helmet, and energizer in clean shape typically brings $200 to $400. A loose cycle with the figure but no box or energizer brings much less, usually $50 to $80. What to check: does the gyro function? Is the figure complete with helmet, white suit, and all stickers intact, including the eagle detail? Boxes have been reproduced, so when evaluating a boxed set, look for honest age wear rather than sharp, crisp printing on what should be fifty-year-old cardstock. The chrome Stunt Cycle version is scarcer than the standard and commands more.
Singer Featherweight 222K sewing machine
The Singer 221 Featherweight is the one collectors most often talk about, a tiny black portable that sold for decades and survives in enormous numbers. The 222K is the one they actually hunt. Made in the UK from the mid-1950s, it has a free-arm design that folds out from the base, allowing it to sew in the round, a feature the 221 never had. Production runs were shorter and the 222K never reached the US market in significant quantities.
Standard 221 examples typically bring $300 to $400, with particularly clean complete sets reaching higher. The 222K is a different situation, regularly selling in the $800 to $2,000 range, with fully restored examples pushing above that. What the collector market wants: the original carrying case, the full set of attachments in their labeled box, the original instruction booklet, and the oil can. A machine with cracked lacquer, a broken bobbin carrier, or a missing needle plate is worth considerably less. The serial number confirms the model and manufacturing date. ISMACS, the International Sewing Machine Collectors' Society, maintains the serial number database that every serious evaluation starts with.
Parker 51 vacumatic “Heirloom” matched set, solid 14k gold caps
The Parker 51 is one of the most recognizable fountain pens ever made, produced from 1941 onward in enormous numbers. The standard version with a Lustraloy stainless cap is findable and affordable. The “Heirloom” set, which paired the pen with a matching mechanical pencil in solid 14k gold caps and was produced only during the vacumatic era from 1941 to 1948, is another matter entirely.
Clean, fully functional Heirloom sets with the original presentation box and no dents to either cap bring $1,500 to $1,850. The cap must be clearly marked “14k” on the clip and tassie. Any dents, even small ones, reduce value significantly because straightening them risks cracking the gold fill. Standard aerometric 51s in Lustraloy or gold-filled caps are genuinely nice pens but bring modest prices, usually $100 to $250 depending on color and condition. Single vacumatic pens in unusual colors like cedar blue or Nassau green with a gold-filled cap hit the $300 to $500 range in excellent restored condition. The nib should be straight with no cracks, and the filling system should work or have been recently serviced by a restorer.
Levi's 501 Big E selvedge jeans, pre-1971
MyLovelyandAlways via eBay
In 1971, Levi's changed the red tab on the back pocket from “LEVI'S” in full capitals to the lowercase “Levi's” that's been standard ever since. Any pair with the capital E is called Big E and dates to before the change. Combined with selvedge denim, which appears on all pre-1971 pairs, you have a piece of clothing that the denim collector market treats more like vintage cast iron than apparel.
Pre-1970 Big E pairs bring $500 to $10,000 or more, with 1950s examples with intact leather patches at the top of that range. Even heavily worn Big E 501s with flaws sell for $500 or more. The key identifiers: the capital E red tab, red-line selvedge visible when you fold up the cuff, and for pre-1966 examples, hidden rivets on the back pockets rather than bar tacks. Size affects value enormously, with certain waist and inseam combinations far harder to find and commanding significant premiums. Reproductions exist, including Levi's own Vintage Clothing line, which are clearly labeled but can confuse buyers who aren't reading carefully. Care labels were added in 1971, so any pair without a care label is pre-1971, which is a useful secondary check.
Hamilton grade 992B railroad pocket watch
American railroads ran on precision timekeeping after a series of catastrophic head-on collisions in the 1890s caused by inaccurate watches. The result was a strict industry standard, and Hamilton's grade 992B, produced from 1940 to 1969, became the watch that most railroad conductors and engineers actually carried. It's a 16-size, 21-jewel movement adjusted to six positions and temperature, lever-set so the time can't be accidentally changed while in the pocket. These were working tools, but they were built to a standard of precision that very few mechanical watches of any era could match.
Clean, running examples in a gold-filled case bring $300 to $800 depending on condition, case quality, and dial, with the most desirable configuration being an original double-sunk porcelain Montgomery dial, which has individual hour numerals printed inside their own rings for easy reading in low light. Any repainted or refinished dial reduces value significantly because originality is what this market prizes. The case should be the original yellow gold-filled issue, not a later replacement. The serial number stamped on the movement identifies the specific production run and date, and the Pocket Watch Database lets you look up exactly when a watch was made. Movement condition matters more than case condition here: a slightly worn case with a clean, undisturbed movement is worth more than a pristine case over a movement that's been clumsily serviced.
Atari 2600 “Heavy Sixer” CX2600, 1977
The original 1977 Atari VCS came in a version produced only that first year: the Heavy Sixer, made in Sunnyvale, California, with a thicker plastic casing, six chrome-like front switches, and noticeably more heft than everything that followed. The Light Sixer replaced it in 1978 and looks nearly identical at a glance. The Heavy Sixer had only about a year of production.
Loose working Heavy Sixers in clean condition bring $200 to $500, with original-box complete examples reaching over $1,000 from serious collectors. The standard later 2600 in any other variant is worth $50 to $100, which tells you how much the single year of Sunnyvale manufacture matters. To confirm what you have: pick it up. The Heavy should feel noticeably heavier. Look at the back and sides, where the plastic molding is wider with softer curves. The bottom label should reference Atari Inc. and Sunnyvale. The Sears Tele-Games version of the Heavy Sixer, sold under Sears branding in the same period, carries a comparable premium and is identified by the Sears labeling on the front panel.
G.I. Joe 1967 Action Nurse by Hasbro, original boxed
Hasbro introduced four G.I. Joe figures in 1964 and followed with a range of military figures for years. In 1967, they tried something different: a female nurse. She sold poorly. Hasbro pulled her quickly. The result is the rarest figure in the original 12-inch G.I. Joe line and one of the most actively sought across all of vintage action figure collecting.
Original boxed examples have sold at auction for $1,500 to $2,000 or more, with the figure, uniform, cap, and box all in strong condition. A loose, complete figure with the original white uniform typically brings $300 to $600 depending on condition. The figure has a distinctive face sculpt different from the male Joes, with a more refined painted expression, and her white nurse uniform carries a red cross patch. The condition of the painted face is the primary value driver: any rubbing or repaint collapses the price. The box is a significant part of the premium, and examples retaining the original inner packaging structure command more than those with a loose figure in a damaged box.
Corgi No. 261 James Bond Aston Martin DB5, original 1965-1969
Corgi sold three-quarters of a million of these before Christmas 1965, running out of stock entirely. The car went on to sell close to four million total. That sounds like a lot, but the toy was played with hard, the ejector seat launched the included plastic “baddie” figure into walls and furniture, and the mechanical features took sixty years of wear. Mint-condition original examples with all features working and the box in strong shape are genuinely uncommon.
Clean, fully operational examples with box and the original spare ejector figure bring $190 to $430, with the best examples pushing higher. Unboxed examples with some paint chipping and working features sell in the $50 to $100 range. The “baddie” figure is almost always missing, and its presence adds real value. Test every feature when evaluating: the ejector seat should spring firmly, the machine guns should extend from the bumper, the rear bullet shield should rise, and the bumper rams should telescope. Corgi has released multiple re-editions clearly identified on the box. Only the 1965-1969 originals carry collector premiums.
Bakelite figural brooch or deeply carved bangle, 1930s-1940s
Bakelite became the dominant material for affordable jewelry from the late 1920s through the early 1940s. The pieces collectors most actively pursue are the carved or figural ones: brooches shaped like animals, fruit, and people; bangles carved so deeply the cuts create almost sculptural effects. These were made by skilled machinists working entirely by hand, which is why no two pieces are identical.
Figural brooches with good subject matter, clean carving, and no chips or cracks bring $50 to $500 depending on design and rarity, with unusual subjects like scotties, horses, and whimsical figures at the higher end. Deeply carved bangles in rare colors, particularly cobalt blue, red, and marbled multicolor, regularly bring $200 to $1,000 or more. Butterscotch, the most common color, brings less unless the carving is exceptional. The identification method: genuine Bakelite emits a faint formaldehyde-like smell when rubbed firmly with a thumb or run under hot water, which later plastics don't. Simichrome metal polish rubbed on with a cotton swab leaves a yellow stain on authentic Bakelite. Cracks, chips, and significant color change from oxidation all reduce value.
Vintage Fiesta medium green, Homer Laughlin 1959-1969
Most people who find a piece of old Fiesta in a cupboard know what it is and assume it's worth a few dollars. On the common colors, they're right. On medium green, they're very wrong. Homer Laughlin introduced medium green for the final decade of vintage Fiesta production, from 1959 until the line ended in 1969. Because it came in right at the end and sales were declining by then, far fewer pieces were made in medium green than in any of the earlier colors. The result is the rarest vintage Fiesta color by a significant margin.
Common items like plates, bowls, and creamers in medium green bring $50 to $200 per piece depending on size and form, a significant premium over comparable pieces in yellow or turquoise. Rarer forms, like the disk pitcher, the teapot, and the covered casserole, can push into the $400 to $800 range for clean examples. The first thing to do with any piece of vintage Fiesta is check the bottom for the “fiesta HLC USA” mark or its variants, which confirms it as original production. Medium green should be a saturated, true green. The color is frequently confused with the earlier original green (1936-1951), which is a lighter, more yellow-green, or with later Fiesta reintroduced after 1986, which never came in this exact shade. Hold pieces side by side with a known example or consult the Vintage Fiestaware Color Guide before making assumptions.
Hallmark “Frosty Friends” #1 “A Cool Yule,” 1980, mint in box
The Frosty Friends series is Hallmark's longest-running Keepsake Ornament line, launched in 1980 with a small Inuit child and a white polar bear sitting on an ice cube holding songbooks, inscribed “Merry Christmas 1980.” It ran for over 40 years. The first piece in any long-running Hallmark series always commands the most attention from collectors, and this is exactly the case here: the 1980 “A Cool Yule” is described by the ornament collecting community as the holy grail of Hallmark ornaments and one of the most valuable pieces the company ever produced.
Mint-in-box examples with the original box, tag, and both songbooks intact bring $350 to $575, with the cleanest examples at the top of that range. Examples missing the songbooks, which the polar bear and Inuit child each hold, or with a damaged box are still collectible but worth considerably less. The piece code is QX1374. Loose examples in excellent condition without original packaging bring $150 to $225. The 2006 Hallmark “repaint” reissue of this ornament is clearly labeled and brings much less.
Griswold #13 cast iron skillet, any logo
mcna9695 via eBay
The number 13 is the most overlooked skillet in the entire Griswold line, and that's almost entirely because of superstition. American foundries produced far fewer size 13 skillets than any other number because families in the early 1900s simply didn't want a pan with that number in the house. Add to that a century of attrition and the fact that a #13 looks, to most people, like an ordinary large skillet, and you have exactly the kind of thing that gets donated or sold for a dollar at a yard sale without a second thought.
The slant logo #13 with heat ring in good, flat condition brings $2,000 to $3,000, with exceptional examples going higher. The large block logo version is less rare but still commands serious prices, typically $300 to $800 depending on condition and whether it sits flat. Even the smaller, more common logos bring $100 to $200 for a clean example, which is a premium over most skillets of comparable size. To identify a Griswold: the logo is incised on the base, not raised. The size number appears prominently. The slant logo has italicized lettering; the large block logo has upright block capitals. Any crack, any warp that causes visible wobble on a flat surface, or any sign of welding repair collapses the value entirely. A pan that's been used hard but sits dead flat and has a fully legible mark is worth far more than a cosmetically cleaner example that rocks. Check the Cast Iron Collector trademark guide to confirm which logo version you have before trying to price it.
Depression glass Royal Lace cobalt blue, Hazel-Atlas 1934-1941
Depression glass was machine-pressed, mass-produced glassware given away as premiums in the 1930s, sometimes packed inside flour sacks or handed out at movie theaters. Most of it is worth a few dollars. The Royal Lace pattern by Hazel-Atlas Glass is the exception that the entire Depression glass market organizes around, and within Royal Lace, the cobalt blue is what every serious collector wants.
Cobalt blue Royal Lace was only produced from 1936 to 1941, a five-year window within the pattern's seven-year run. The color is a deep, saturated blue-black that's unmistakable once you've seen it. A set of six cobalt blue tumblers brings around $285 to $300. The three-footed console bowl in cobalt regularly brings $150 to $400 depending on condition. The cookie jar in cobalt is among the rarest pieces and commands $500 to $900 in clean condition. All Depression glass is susceptible to scratching from utensil use, which fades the pattern and reduces value. Chips are deal-breakers. Reproductions of Royal Lace have been made: check that the pattern continues onto the underside of the piece, which is an authentic production feature that reproductions don't consistently replicate. The pink and green versions of Royal Lace are common and bring $10 to $40 per piece; cobalt is in a completely different market.
