Garage sale staple: Books
Let’s be honest, you won’t find a million dollars’ worth of first edition books or any rare books at a garage sale. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t end up scooping up any valuable books that people might not know about, and you could definitely sell them for a profit later (since most books at garage sales are just a few bucks).
The key to managing to bring in a profit from these is to not only make sure that the book is in great condition, but that it is also a first edition of that book. If you somehow end up with it being signed by the author, you have hit the jackpot! For example, a first edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone has recently been sold for $80,000!
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10 thoughts on “9 Items At Garage Sales That Are Worth More Than You Think”
Appreciate the info on jewelry and artwork. Always was aware of the value of books and vinyl records.
Great Information. I recently went to a lawn and house and I for two original pieces of and one signed print. The two originals I sold for a total of $5300 and the signed print I sold for $1275. I paid a total of $15 for the three works. 😊😊😊
Random records at garage sales tend to be iffy for resale in my experience unless you know what to look for.
Key for getting return on investment is condition. Of both the vinyl and the jacket – even light scratches on an album can drop the value – and frayed or torn jackets usually mean dollars off resale – same with missing inner sleeves.
And looking for discs that are high dollar takes some knowledge of genre, artist and labels. Reissue labels have minimal value but original labels can hike the price 10 to 100 fold. Think Elvis 50’s or Beatles early 60’s lps versus the reissues in the 80’s.
And then there are labels – find a 1950’s Blue Note jazz disc in great shape and you are probably going to do well. Same thing with some RCA and Mercury Classical Discs from the 50’s (Living Stereo and Living Presence) – Reader’s Digest compilations with the same tracks are great to listen to but don’t command the same dollar value.
I have a lot of records from the 1920’s & 1930’s . I do I tell what is junk
I suggest you do some ebay searching to see if others are being sold and the asking price. Or, invest in record price guide. But, as Geno mentioned, MANY things can change the value: is it rare? what is the condition? is it by an artist or on a label that is sought after? Elvis/Beatles/rockabilly/doowop/etc originals are generally worth more than reissues…however, some reissues might be valuable because of their scarcity. A misprint on some labels might add to a record’s value…or it might detract. Many things to consider…and a rare record has little value if you don’t find someone who wants it. Good luck!!!
I have original Elvis 78s with jackets and Ricky Nelson. Many others. Al a lot of old Jazz large albums.
Hello. I have over 100 jazz albums. How can I find out the are originals? How can I sale them other than a garage sale?
you can also pick up some great xmas decorations at garage and estate sales.
Have lots of old records long playing records of 50, 60, and 70’s for sale .. Tapes and CD’s too .
I bought a 1979 45 record Blondie, Heart of Gold, for $1.00. One of the last 45’s made.
Priceless to me