The Kids Are Gone! It's Time To Reclaim Your Home: Find Hidden Treasures in That Trunk of Junk
This is it, you're now an empty-nester! As you walk past the kids' half empty bedrooms, you peek in and reminisce of the times when these rooms were filled with toys, laughter, and sometimes even tears. You give off a slight laugh as you recall the great lengths you went through to make sure your kids were happy. Like the one time you lined up for hours at the toy store to get your hands on the new release of your son's favourite video game. Now, you'll be lucky if he has time for a phone call or visit every other Sunday. The only things you find left behind are the old toys and random knick knacks that they've now grown out of. Letting out a deep sigh as you lean against the bedroom door frame, you bravely decide to make a change and start an exciting new venture, one that's just for you. How about converting this room into your new craft room or perhaps a cozy lounge for reading with brand new decor? Regardless you're probably ready to tackle some of this junk and take on a new home project!
Almost every parent can relate to this story, it's an inevitable moment most parents will experience. Parents tend to get emotional over their children moving out of the family home, just like watching their kids walk for the first time. With these emotions usually comes the need for change or wanting to try something new in order to keep busy, which is why most parents decide to reclaim their home after their children have left.
It may be the first time in years that you've decided to thoroughly organize all the junk in your home so, you could expect this job to be a big one. While you sort through some old things and make the decision whether you should keep it, junk it, or donate it, here's some things to consider:
Has anyone used it/worn it in the past year?
Could you really make use of it in the future?
Does it have any resale value?
Could this be useful to anyone else?
Is it in good condition for donation?
Is it a family heirloom?
Is it a keepsake/memorabilia?
If you answered NO to most of these questions, the chances are it should go into the junk pile. But before you do that, there could be some items that you own which are actually worth a fortune today! Believe it or not, hanging on to some old toys and hobbies from past few decades could actually pay off. Depending on the item and the condition it's in, you could be sitting on a small fortune.
Here are just a few toys from the past few decades that are worth a fortune today:
1. Polly Pocket
Do you remember these tiny dolls? It was a ton of fun that could actually fit in the palm of your hand. Some sets even came in different Disney movie themes. You may of noticed the size of the Polly has grown during these recent years and so has the value of the original pocket-sized Polly Pocket Playsets. Depending on the condition of these tiny playsets, the resale value on a mint condition Polly Pocket playset is $500 and upward.
2. Pokemon for Nintendo Game Boy
With the onset of the new Pokemon Go mobile game, vintage video game collectors are even more inclined to make a comeback with original Pokemon games that you thought were obsolete. Although you can still buy a new Pokemon video game cartridge for Nintendo Gameboy, the original game cartridge with the original print is worth a few hundred dollars and upward if it remained sealed for all these years.
3. Furbies
Although they've made a small comeback recently, the original talking, big-eyed, furry little creatures are worth a lot today. Vintage toy collectors would actually pay about $600 for one of these in mint condition and probably even more if it's still in the original box packaging.
4. Mario Kart 64 for Nintendo 64
This game was too much fun, spilling banana peels and shooting turtle shells on the race track. Almost every kid and parent in the 90's loved this game. If you held onto a copy of this, game cartridge with the original print in mint condition currently sells for about $1000 and more.
5. First Edition of 'Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone'
The first edition of the U.S version of J.K Rowling's first Harry Potter Novel that set of a phenomenon was originally published in 1998. By the early 2000's almost every kid who was able to read was swooning over wizardry. It currently sells for $6,500 and if you have a signed copy in mint condition, it's worth about $15,000.
6. LEGO Sets & Minifigures
LEGO is still very much a popular toy for children and despite it being so current, some LEGO systems like this Pirate Ship have a resale value of approximately $750 online. Of course, the entire set and box would have to be in mint condition without any pieces missing.
Are you familiar with this Star Wars minifigure? This is Boba Fett, he's one of the most popular minifigures. He was first seen in LEGO form in 2000 and has been part of multiple sets since however, the Boba Fett featured in 2003's Cloud City playset is one that is worth anywhere between $150 to $185.
How cool is this gold chrome-plated droid? This minifigure was added to only 10,000 Star Wars playsets in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. The figures came sealed in this white plastic bags and smart collectors left them completely sealed and unseen. These rare finds are selling anywhere between $350 to $450 currently and even more for the sealed minifigures.
7. Pokemon Cards
If you own a hefty stack of Pokemon Cards that were printed and sold in the 2000's, you could be sitting on a small fortune. Cards that are marked with a diamond means that they were uncommon, but since they are currently still easy to find, they aren't worth tons. If you have a card that is marked with a star or even better, three stars meaning rare and and extra-rare cards, they could be worth anywhere between $100 to $1000 depending on the type of Pokemon and the condition of the card.
If you own any of these super rare toys or collector items and they're kept in mint condition, well you may find yourself being happier than your child when they first got this toy almost 10 years ago! Consult with a toy specialist or vintage collector to see how much it may be worth.
For everything else in your home that's actually Junk call Just Junk! We'll make it go away. One thing that makes Just Junk a preferred company for your junk removal needs is that we use our resources to recycle as much as possible. It may considered be junk to you but, we try to salvage anything that could be very helpful to others who need it. Did you know that only about 10% of our daily pick ups actually end up in the landfill? Not only does this benefit our environment but it helps give back to the community.
Call Just Junk for a free estimate and let us know how we can help with junk removal from your home. We can pick up just about anything from furniture, clothing, electronics, to refrigerators, deep freezers, and more. Let us help you take the load off your back so you can have more time to enjoy the newly freed up space in your home and perhaps begin a new home improvement job!
Popular toys from the 2000's that are surprisingly worthless
Some of the best toys and hobbies you've paid a pretty penny for in the 2000's that you think may have good resale value are actually not worth much at all today. Like the Guitar Hero and Rockband games with instruments. The trade in value for both games with all the instruments would be less than $100, which wouldn't even be enough to get yourself the new Guitar Hero Live game.
Hanging on to all those beanie babies you purchased in the 2000's is also proving to be worthless. Some are currently selling for less than $2 online, unless you have the Princess Diana Bear which was sold in the 90's and is currently selling for $1000 and upwards!
How about those Happy Meal toys? You probably even left some in their original packaging. Well, we can probably agree that it seemed like a good idea to hide them from your kids in the 2000's, believing they may be worth something someday. Now it seems it would've been best that your child actually enjoyed them back then instead of collecting dust today!
This just goes to show that sometimes hidden treasures are actually found in hunks of junk and not always amongst our most precious gems! So, the next time you decide to haul some junk from your home, call our experts at Just Junk to help you get the job done.
