I’m a money guru – how to find out if there’s a fortune lurking in your shed, from nineties toy to vintage computer
FORGET rusty tools, cobwebs and half-used tins of paint – your humble garden shed could be a forgotten goldmine full of unwanted items that have the potential to make you cash.
TV money-making guru Dan Hatfield says: “It is not at the end of a rainbow where you’ll find a pot of gold – it’s at the bottom of your garden.
“Lloyds Bank estimates Brits have around £2,000 worth of unused items in their sheds, with the total value of these goods across the UK estimated at a staggering £42 billion.”
So if you want to make a bit of extra money it’s time to brave the spiders and start rummaging for forgotten treasures, as Dan shares his ultimate guide on what to look out for.
SONY WALKMAN
That portable cassette player that you used to listen to your tapes on at the back of the school bus could now make you a small fortune.
The 1990s Sony Walkman is a collector’s item, with the professional models fetching up to £500.
Even non-functional models can sell for around £50.
If you have some old cassettes that you need to get rid of too, these can sell from £1 to £3 each.
A high fidelity cassette recording of Pink Floyd’s classic album Dark Side Of The Moon for example earned one lucky music lover recently a whopping £800.
LEATHER RECLINERS
Once the centrepiece of the family living room, but now relegated to the back of your shed, leather recliners from the eighties are back in Vogue.
In good condition, they can fetch between £400 and £500 at auction houses.
As an added bonus, they do not have to be in mint condition, as a bit of distressing adds to their charm.
Other sought-after furniture that you might have tucked away in storage includes 1960s TV cabinets, which also sell for around £400, old teak furniture, which can often sell for over £100, and even vintage Ikea items can be flogged for thousands.
With up-cycling so popular right now, even tatty pieces of furniture – like an old Welsh dresser or your mum’s battered coffee table – will sell.
ROYAL ALBERT OLD COUNTRY ROSES CROCKERY
This iconic yellow and red rose-patterned crockery, which you might recognise as your nan’s wedding china, was introduced in 1962, but remains popular worldwide.
If you have this kitsch china languishing on a shelf in your shed, you can maximise profit by selling items individually.
On their own, cake plates sell for between £25 and £30, with teapots coming in at a whopping £60 to £70.
And on the subject of retro kitchen pieces, Lucky In Love Pyrex items from 1959 – which are patterned with green clovers and pink love hearts – are worth around £3,000.
I shudder to think how many of these dishes have ended up in landfill!
HEISSNER GARDEN GNOMES
Once the source of ridicule, the garden gnome is fashionable again.
The hand-painted classic Heissner gnomes, which were a staple in British gardens, are now rare collectibles.
A 1950s model can be worth a staggering £700.
Other garden ornaments worth looking behind your lawn mower for include cast iron Victorian urns, often used as large planters.
When these come up for auction they can raise over £1,000.
1980s AMIGA 1000 COMPUTERS
Storing electrical goods in sheds isn’t advisable because they are cold and damp, but many of us Brits do and it is contributing to an estimated £16-£20 billion worth of unused technology nationwide.
Vintage personal computers, like the Amiga 1000 – released by Commodore International – from 1985 are experiencing a revival and working gadgets can sell for £500 at online auction sites.
A Nintendo Entertainment System from 1983 can go for between £50 and £200.
NINETIES FOOTBALL SHIRTS
It might be hard to believe the nineties are considered vintage, but clothing from that era is highly sought after and considered ‘retro’ by the likes of Gen Z.
Football shirts, in particular, can net you between £50 and £100.
The Arsenal away kit from 1991 to 1993 – dubbed the “bruised banana” shirt thanks to its yellow colour with a black zigzag design – is especially valuable, with some selling for up to £400.
As a nation, we tend to hold on to our threads, with estimates suggesting we have around £1,200 worth of unused clothing per household that could be sold rather than piled high in boxes piled high in our sheds.
Different sites are better for selling clothes than others.
eBay is an all rounder and good for football shirts, while Depop is great for vintage.
TAMAGOTCHIS
Toys from the nineties and early noughties are having a moment.
The iconic plaything from that era, the Tamagotchi, has a re-sell price tag to reflect that.
The handheld virtual pets, which require players to care for them, were originally priced around £10 in the 1990s and noughties.
But some rare models have now sold at auction for more than £3,500.
A more typical nineties version can bring in £50 to £200, depending on condition and edition.
Statistics from online retailer Plastic Box Shop found that by the age of 13, kids have owned an incredible 493 toys.
So if you’ve got grown up or older children, it is worth emptying out those storage boxes and having a sift for some auction gold.
HARRY POTTER BOOKS
Early editions of the first book in author JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, The Philosopher’s Stone, remain incredibly popular at auction.
First editions are particularly valuable, with some selling for over £120,000. Other limited editions can be worth hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
If you’re having a rummage through a box of books relegated to the back of the shed and you find a copy, there are things you need to check to see if you’re in the money.
Firstly make sure the copyright date is 1997 and that on page 53, in the list of school supplies, “1 wand” appears twice and that there is a missing “o” in “Philosopher’s Stone” on the back cover.
While it may seem unlikely, there are thousands of these editions still out there.
VINTAGE KENWOOD MIXERS
With the enduring popularity of baking shows like The Great British Bake Off, home baking continues to have its time in the sun.
And according to research by meal kit company HelloFresh, the UK has an estimated £11 billion worth of unused kitchen gadgets hiding in people’s sheds, which could bring some households around £822 if sold.
Once considered worthless, vintage Kenwood mixers – the modern ‘K-Mix’ version of which has featured on GBBO, alongside the classic KitchenAid Artisan stand mixers – can now change hands for £100 or more.
Other items that could make you a fortune
We probably all have at least one or two of these items lying around the house, but you could make hundreds selling them online.
- Bikes – £290
- Computer tablets – £180
- Smart watch – £125
- Christmas tree – £38
- Juicer – £36
- Nokia 900 communicator – £800
- 2009 Sony Ericsson W995 – £500
- Super Nintendo – £50 to £200
- Sega game gear – £150-£350
- 90s football shirts up to £100
- 90s Royal Daulton figures up to £400
GOLF CLUBS
Adults abandon hobbies after only 16 months, according to a study by the British Heart Foundation.
As a sad consequence, items related to these ill-fated pursuits, like golf clubs, end up covered in cobwebs in the garden shed.
But if you’ve given up the green, you can still gain some notes by selling your unloved clubs.
Reputable brands like TaylorMade and Ping sell for between £200 and £500 for a full set.
But getting rid of golf clubs individually can potentially double your earnings.