Turns out your parents’ “junk” might be worth a small fortune now. The stuff that collected dust in garages, basements, or weird glass cabinets? Yeah, collectors are now throwing real money at it.
Here are 16 items that people casually owned during the ’70s and which are now downright goldmines. If you have any of them sitting about, it may be high time that you cashed out or kicked yourself.
1977 ‘Star Wars: A New Hope’ VHS
That old VHS your uncle recorded over for the confessionals and soap operas? If it were Star Wars: A New Hope, the unopened, original, non- “Episode IV” one, you essentially threw away $23k. Collectors are fanatical about the first releases, and unopened discs are scarce like Jedi on Hoth.
First-Generation Apple Computers
Apple’s 1976 “Apple I” may be an elegant toaster to our eyes today, but it’s a museum artifact. It was only produced in a few hundred units, and if you have one hidden away, it could be worth six figures. A case in point: an Apple I computer that was tied to Steve Jobs was auctioned off for $945,000 back in 2024.
1973 Computer Space Arcade Machine
This sleek-looking cabinet was the grandfather of arcade games. Collectors will offer tens of thousands if you have somehow managed to stash it away in a garage or storage unit. Retro gaming is no joke.
1972 Nike Moon Shoes
Made by Nike’s co-founder in a waffle iron, they are the holy grail for sneakerheads. There are only 12 pairs. If your odd relative ran track in ’em, get him to rummage through his attic. You might be rich by lunchtime. A pair of never-worn 1972 Nike “Moon Shoes” fetched a record $437,500 at a 2019 Sotheby’s auction.
1970s LEGO Sets
Kids today have smart-looking Star Wars LEGO, but collectors go wild over the vintage ’70s brick sets, particularly the trains and Space series. If your parents stored that fat yellow box full of blocky ambitions, you may be able to trade it for something less plastic… like five-figure cash.
Comic Books That Were “Just for Fun”
If you ever read and didn’t completely destroy comics like The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, or Fantastic Four from the ’70s, you might have been lucky. First issues and iconic first covers now sell for thousands. Time to dig through that old cardboard box under the bed.
1979 Rolex “Great White” Sea-Dweller
It’s a Bond villain. This Rolex was nicknamed “The Great White” due to the white-on-white text, and if you have one sitting at home from the late ’70s, you have a 23k+ wrist-sized fortune. Vintage diving watches? Always a flex.
Fisher-Price Little People (Wooden Ones Only)
Before they softened and became safe, Little People were wooden, chunky, solid figures. And can you believe it? Those choking hazards are now collectibles. Some ’70s sets — and particularly the schoolhouse and airport — command serious cash on auction websites.
1971 Johnny Bench Baseball Card
If your grandfather was a Reds supporter, dig through his attic treasure stash. The 1971 Topps Johnny Bench baseball card featuring those notoriously delicate black borders is every collector’s dream. A graded and near-mint specimen was purchased for $42,000. It’s Hall of Fame cash, literally.
Mego Superhero Dolls
Mego’s 8-inch superhero figures – Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man – WERE EVERYWHERE during the ’70s. If you still have one wrapped (or loose, but clean!), you can command big bucks from collectors. The rarer the costume, the better the price.
Boomboxes the Size of Small Children
The bigger, the better. Old boomboxes, particularly flashy silver ones complete with dual cassette decks, are going for hundreds. Add in a built-in equalizer and 70s funk stickers? You’re basically holding an audio gold bar.
Limited 1977 Star Wars Comic
Marvel came out with a stealthy release of 35-cent Star Wars comics (rather than the standard 30 cents) as a market experiment. That 5-cent price hike now makes you the possessor of a $7,500 collector’s treasure. Who knew loose change would be paying your rent?
First Edition ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’
A punctuation typo? Yes, that’s it. If your book’s got an exclamation point where there was a period on the dust jacket summary, it’s now worth hundreds. Evidence that even errors turn into gold over time.
Vintage Concert T-Shirts
If you managed to score (or be old enough to attend) a Led Zeppelin, Bowie, or Fleetwood Mac show and didn’t throw away the T-shirt afterward? You’re a genius. Vintage ’70s band tees, particularly those featuring tour dates, are gold when it comes to fashion and can command hundreds online. Vintage sweat has never been so hot.
Barbie Dolls from the ’70s
That fabulous, maybe a little intimidating-looking Barbie with bendy legs? She could fund your next vacation. Some ’70s Barbie dolls, such as Superstar or Malibu Barbie, can sell for between £200+ based on condition. Dolls still boxed? Even better. Ken’s still broke, but Barbie’s paying the bills.
The 1977 Original Star Wars Action Figures
If you still have Darth Vader locked in his case, congratulations, you are sitting on rent money. The original Kenner Star Wars figures are collectors’ catnip. Some rare releases sell for thousands. The moral? Don’t open your toys… or at the very least, hide your sibling’s and store them still in their mint condition.
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