Photo: fultron89 / Flickr

If you are one of those people with a garage, attic or basement stocked to the brim with this and that, then it may be time for a clean out. You may have some valuable items hiding away that could earn you that extra bit of money. Perhaps you’ve already emptied your attic and are about to take everything to a charity shop or the dump. Find out if you have any items that are more valuable than you might think.

Collectable items

One man’s trash is really another’s treasure. You may have some collectable items that mean nothing to you but would complete someone else’s precious set and they could be willing to pay a fortune for them. The collectible market is a big one so if you think you may have a collectable do your research carefully.

Have a look at the little things

The items that we tend to overlook can often be those with the most value. Items such as pocket knives, pipes, lighters, cufflinks, buttons, postcards, luggage and random gadgets can hold more value than you think. The key is to research the items you have and if necessary take them to get evaluated by an expert. Not every item you find may be valuable but perhaps you will find something rare that could bring you in a fair amount of money.

Everyone knows that your grandma’s old jewellery is probably extremely valuable and can be sold for a lot of money but what you might not know is that the box it stays in can be worth just as much, if not more.

Be aware

If you do think you have found something valuable, you have to be careful. Get the items valued by a number of specialists as well as doing your own research in books and on the internet. If you decide to go to an auction with the item, put down a reserve price so that you are not disappointed if there are few takers. If the item does not sell find out if you need to go to a speciality auction or sell the item privately. So go get stuck into those storage spots and make some money!

Tags: collection, garage, jewellery