6 Things Gen X Has in Their Attic That Could Fund a Wealthy Retirement
Written by
Yaël Bizouati-Kennedy
Edited by
Nicholas Morine
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As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. And for Gen Xers with attics full of items they want to get rid of, it might pay off being very careful and doing some homework before getting rid of them. These vintage pieces could end up being very valuable, making sellers a mint while helping to boost their retirement funds.
Here are some items which could net you a pretty penny, or perhaps more.
1989 Game Boy
As Ask.com noted, the 1989 Nintendo Game Boy “offers a touch of nostalgia for many ’80s and ’90s kids and can sell for up to $300 in good condition.”
And if you have an unopened one, the price can jump to $600.
Vinyl Records
Vinyl records have been making a comeback, and if you have some stashed away, now is a good time to sell them.
As Country Living reported, Prince’s “The Black Album,” for instance, can sell for anywhere between $1,000 and $3,000.
Beanie Babies
Beanie Babies can also make you rich, depending on their condition. One seller on Etsy for example, is offering “four super rare retired Beanie Babies. Valentina and Valentino, Peace bear and First edition Princess Diana,” for an eye-popping $17,700. Whether this sale price is actually achievable is up for debate, though a “Peace Bear” Beanie Baby did sell for just under $9,000 on eBay recently.
VHS Tapes
“If you’ve still got some old VHS tapes from your childhood, then it may be your lucky day,” Ask.com indicated.
And collectors especially like Disney movies: A 1992 copy of “Beauty and the Beast” recently sold for a whopping $13,000, while “The Rescuers Down Under” from 1991 cashed in at $7,000, Ask.com added. These prices are likely fetched for rarer variants.
Tour T-Shirts from Vintage Bands
Another potential treasure that a lot of Gen Xers have in their attic: tour t-shirts.
“Authentic band tour T-shirts from decades ago can be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars, due to their scarcity,” Ask.com detailed.
A 1988 Sugarcubes vintage tour band t-shirt is listed for $595 on eBay, as one example. And Ask.com reported that a t-shirt from the Talking Head’s New Wave Rock Tour in the 1980s just sold online for $1,900.
Vintage Lunch Boxes
Some of these vintage metal lunch boxes can sell for up to 10,000 times their original price, “especially if you also have the thermos that originally came inside,” according to Ask.com.
For example, a 1980 “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back” lunch box with the matching thermos and insert pamphlet sold for $600 on eBay, according to Love to Know.
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