One Man's Trash...
Some collectibles seem totally pointless—until you check their price tags. From outdated tech to packaging that once went in the trash, these quirky items have become prized treasures for collectors. Here are 25 seemingly useless things that are surprisingly valuable today.
Old Soda Bottle Caps
Estimated value: $20
To most, they’re trash. But collectors love the colorful logos and regional brands, especially from the 1940s–60s. Rare caps in mint condition can fetch $20 or more.
Vintage Hotel Soap Bars
Estimated value: $30
Tiny and unused, old hotel soaps with retro logos from defunct chains are nostalgic gold. Collectors seek them for their packaging and rarity.
McDonald's Happy Meal Boxes
Estimated value: $35
The toy’s cool—but collectors want the box! Especially ones from limited promos like Batman or Disney. Clean, unfolded boxes bring in real cash.
Old Lottery Tickets
Estimated value: $40
They’re already used, but vintage scratch-offs and lotto tickets from the 70s–90s are fun to collect. Ones with unique artwork or pop culture themes sell well.
Cereal Box Cutouts
Estimated value: $50
Remember mailing in for prizes? Cereal box offers and cutout mail-in forms are now rare ephemera. Especially valuable if they feature retro characters or promotions.
Vintage Shoe Horns
Estimated value: $60
Many people toss these aside, but early 20th-century shoe horns, especially branded or made from bone or wood, are now desirable collectibles.
Auckland Museum, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Old Airline Luggage Tags
Estimated value: $75
Paper luggage tags from the golden age of air travel can spark collector nostalgia—especially Pan Am or TWA. The rarer the airport code, the better.
Promotional Keychains
Estimated value: $80
Keychains from gas stations, phone companies, or even fast food joints are hot collector items. The weirder or older the brand, the more they’re worth.
DestinationFearFan, Wikimedia Commons
Outdated Store Gift Cards
Estimated value: $100
These are no longer usable, but collectors love gift cards with quirky or vintage designs—especially from closed chains like Blockbuster or Toys “R” Us.
Tom Eppenberger Jr. Color-corrected and cropped by Daniel Case, Wikimedia Commons
Restaurant Menus
Estimated value: $125
Menus from the mid-1900s offer a time capsule of prices and design. Famous or now-closed restaurants increase value—especially if signed or in pristine shape.
Andrew Dalby, Wikimedia Commons
Old Shopping Bags
Estimated value: $150
Luxury brand paper bags, especially vintage ones from the '70s or earlier, have become display-worthy pieces for fashion lovers.
Brigitte Tohm brigittetohm, Wikimedia Commons
Empty Vintage Candy Wrappers
Estimated value: $175
It’s just trash to most people—but unopened or clean candy wrappers from iconic brands, especially discontinued ones, are sweet collector finds.
Used Concert Wristbands
Estimated value: $200
Still sticky and faded, but used wristbands from legendary concerts or music festivals can sell for a couple hundred if the band was historic.
Vintage Drink Coasters
Estimated value: $225
Especially those from airlines, old breweries, or vintage hotels. Unique designs or discontinued brands drive up demand among collectors.
Old Matchbooks
Estimated value: $250
They may no longer light, but colorful matchbooks from old diners, casinos, or hotels are fun, nostalgic, and often highly valuable.
Joe Haupt from USA, Wikimedia Commons
Retired Fast Food Packaging
Estimated value: $300
Styrofoam McDLT containers or Burger King paper bags from the 1980s are rare finds. Complete sets from limited releases are especially valuable.
Empty VHS Rental Cases
Estimated value: $350
Blockbuster cases and sleeves, especially for horror or cult classics, are being hunted by collectors who want to recreate the home video era.
Michiel1972 at Dutch Wikipedia, Wikimedia Commons
Vintage Parking Passes
Estimated value: $375
Once discarded after the event, these now serve as memorabilia—especially from major sporting events, concerts, or movie premieres.
Old Catalogs
Estimated value: $400
Sears, JC Penney, and Montgomery Ward catalogs from the mid-century are packed with nostalgia and are often worth hundreds to collectors.
Unused Phone Cards
Estimated value: $500
They’re non-functional now, but early prepaid phone cards from the '90s with pop culture art or limited print runs are hot commodities.
Wil540 art, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Empty Vintage Perfume Bottles
Estimated value: $600
Even without the scent, the ornate glasswork of old perfume bottles makes them beautiful collectibles—especially from iconic French brands.
Joe Haupt from USA, Wikimedia Commons
Boarding Passes from Historic Flights
Estimated value: $750
Especially from retired airlines or inaugural flights. Collectors cherish the nostalgia and travel history embedded in these slips of paper.
Trans World Airlines, Wikimedia Commons
Cereal Prize Toys
Estimated value: $800
Tiny plastic prizes from cereal boxes are surprisingly valuable—especially if they were only released in certain regions or came with licensed characters.
© 1971markus, Wikimedia Commons
Discontinued Store Signage
Estimated value: $1,000
Light-up signs, shelf talkers, and sale posters from brands like RadioShack or KB Toys are now nostalgic decor worth real cash.
Vintage Garbage Pail Kids Cards
Estimated value: $1,500+
Once banned by schools, these gross-out trading cards from the 1980s are now some of the hottest collectibles. Rare ones fetch big bucks.
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