5. Designer Costume Jewelry
You do not need solid gold or flawless diamonds to profit from vintage jewelry. Designer costume jewelry from the mid-20th century holds tremendous appeal. Pieces signed by designers like Miriam Haskell, Trifari, Dior, and Chanel are traded fiercely among collectors.
Additionally, Bakelite jewelry from the 1930s and 1940s remains highly collectible. Bakelite is an early plastic that was carved into thick, colorful bangles and brooches. You can easily test for Bakelite by rubbing the plastic vigorously with your thumb until it warms up; authentic Bakelite emits a distinct, chemical smell resembling formaldehyde.
6. Toys from the 1980s and 1990s
The toys your children played with are now the primary focus of nostalgic collectors. High-value categories include:
- Original Transformers and G.I. Joe: Figures from the 1980s, especially those still in their original packaging or featuring all their tiny, easily lost accessories.
- American Girl Dolls: Original Pleasant Company dolls from the late 1980s and early 1990s (such as Samantha, Kirsten, and Molly), particularly if they include their original accessories and clothing.
- Vintage Polly Pockets: The small, compact sets manufactured by Bluebird Toys before Mattel redesigned them in the late 1990s.
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Early action figures and vehicles from the original late-1980s toy line.
7. Single-Stitch Concert T-Shirts
If you attended rock concerts in the 1970s, 1980s, or 1990s and kept the tour shirts, you are in luck. The vintage clothing market exploded over the last decade, with authentic band t-shirts leading the charge. Collectors search specifically for “single-stitch” shirts—identified by a single line of stitching on the sleeve cuffs and bottom hem, a manufacturing style that faded out in the late 1990s.
Original shirts featuring bands like Nirvana, Metallica, Iron Maiden, or the Grateful Dead often sell for hundreds of dollars. The thin, worn-in cotton that makes these shirts so comfortable is exactly what modern buyers desire.
I’m in my 80s now, and recently acquired a number of family items of furniture after my (older) sister passed away. I was not responsible for state or federal inheritance taxes on the financial items she willed to me, but — IF I were to sell all or some of the furniture items (a few might be antiques, others not) — would I be liable for “capital gains” taxes on whatever money I receive from their sale?
I’m conflicted. On one hand, some of these are “family items” that my children might want someday, but I personally have no real connection to them in that respect. Further, they have been cluttering my basement for over a year. So being aware of the possible tax ramifications might influence my decision on how to proceed (or whether to proceed) in disposing of the items.