13 Everyday Items People Didn’t Know Were Worth a Fortune

Objects and every piece of jewelry or clothing were valued much more in the past than they are today. People often tend to donate or even throw away many of these items, among which hidden treasures of great worth can sometimes be found. Take a look at what these people discovered — maybe the same item is sitting in your attic or a thrift store near you.

1. “Found this in my garden while digging, what is it?”

• “Looks like a vesta case, match holder with striker.” © OwineeniwO / Reddit

2. “Cool little find at my local antique shop.”

3. “Found on the beach. From a quick Google search it seems like some sort of Cardelian with etchings I can’t identify! It seems quite old. ”

4. “I found this beautiful glass at the thrift store today. Can somebody tell me how to find out if it is made out of real crystal and gold?”

• “I think this is Tiffin-Franciscan’s Minton pattern. If so, it’s real crystal and gold. Not antique, the pattern was made 1930 to 1967.” © Sweet_Kaleidoscope13 / Reddit

5. “A friend and long time collector saved this from a general store.”

6. “Anyone know anything about this box I inherited?”

• “It’s a bronze casket by Austrian sculpture Gustav Gurschner.” © senor-fantastico / Reddit
• “Sold for $21,250.00 in the Sotheby’s auction.” © letsgocactus / Reddit

7. “I found this planter on my 200-year-old home’s property. I did a reverse image search and found it was worth thousands.”

8. “Found this in an elevator shaft in an old hotel in Ireland.”

• “I restore these cash registers as a hobby! What you’ve got is a National Cash Register from around the 1910s. They’re worth a couple hundred bucks in that condition, mostly because they can still be restored despite how bad it looks.” © ElbowDeepinanImgur / Reddit

9. “Someone gave me this fork and knife set years ago. Just pulled out of storage.”

10. “My dad died, this is what I found in his house and I have no idea what it was.”

• “Japanese Inro box. Would have hung from a belt using a small carved netsuke. Bronze fittings gold lacquer decorations on the exterior. Early 20th century I’d guess.” © antinous24 / Reddit

11. “My Grandad bought this in the late 70s and tucked it away for years.”

• “Hi, I have been an antique dealer in Canada for over 20 years. Anything made by Martin Brothers is highly sought after. My gut feel on your piece is that it would bring somewhere in the $2,000–4,000 range at auction.” © No_Acanthaceae1454 / Reddit

12. “Found while clearing out my mother’s things. None of us 3 daughters knew it existed. The handwriting is my grandmother’s.”

13. “Left behind by the previous owners, at my parents’ house. Mom originally thought it was fake and was going to give it to the grandkids for dress-up. Turns out, it’s gold with diamonds.”

One person’s trash is another’s treasure, and this woman’s passion for thrifting led her to a $15 dress that might be worth millions.