Beyond Gold and Silver: What Else Can You Find at Yard Sales?

David Conner
Nov 8 · 3 min read
Antique Bausch & Lomb Microscope Purchased at a Yard Sale for $15. In this picture, it is being photographed for eBay listing. This particular make and model typically sells for about $250.

When I first began going to Yard Sales and Thrift Stores in search of cheap gold and silver, I looked for nothing else.

Even with that limited focus, I did pretty well, but I could not help noticing other items at these sales. Some of them looked quite interesting and valuable, even to my uneducated eye.

About a year after I learned how to buy and sell scrap gold and silver, I found a mentor who taught me the ropes of selling on eBay. With the help of his advice, I created a new stream of income by sourcing products from the very same places I was already going in search of precious metals.

By expanding the scope of my treasure hunting efforts, I significantly increased the efficiency of my inventory shopping excursions.

Since that beginning, I have committed myself to learning as much as I can about the value of antiques, collectibles, and other products that may possibly appear on the secondary (used products) market.

This is a daunting task, however. The sheer variety of valuable things that can be purchased and re-sold is nearly endless. You could study for a dozen lifetimes and only scratch the surface of what there is to learn.

Because of this, while I am always open to discovering new re-selling opportunities, I try not to spread my knowledge too thinly at the expense of developing expertise.

What I have done, and what I recommend to aspiring Pickers, is that you choose certain types of goods that you are naturally interested in, and that you can reasonably expect to encounter during your shopping expeditions. Then dive deep into those subjects and develop expert knowledge.

This strategy will allow you to see value where others see only junk. It will allow you to confidently pay higher prices than your competitors, if necessary, and it will help you to avoid setting your prices too low when you sell.

Here are just a few general categories of collectibles and valuables that you might want to choose from and become an expert in:
1) Precious Metals Identification
2) Fine Jewelry
3) Costume Jewelry
4) Military
5) Gems and Minerals
6) Toys
7) Books and Literature
8) Sports Cards and Collectibles
9) Medical and Scientific Instruments
10) Knives
11) Guns
12) Tools
13) Autographs
14) Stamps
15) Glassware and China
16) Native American Collectibles
17) African or other ethnic Collectibles
18) Watches and Clocks
19) Cookware
20) Computers and Gaming
21) Musical Instruments
22) Stereos and Records
23) Western and Cowboy Collectibles
24) Dolls
25) Christmas Ornaments and Decor
26) Furniture
27) Oriental Rugs
28) Architectural Salvage and Antiques
29) Marbles
30) Clothing, Shoes, and Textiles

This list could go on and on, and for every general category, there are layers and layers of sub-categories. But this list should at least give you some ideas to start with and demonstrate for you that you have a large selection of niches to choose from.

In addition to finding valuable items within your area of expertise at Yard Sales and Thrift Stores, you may sometimes come across items that you know little or nothing about, but your gut feeling tells you they are valuable.

The nice thing about Yard Sales in particular, is that you can often buy such merchandise for a song. If you paid only a dollar or two for an item and later research reveals that it is not worth much after all, then you can easily accept it as the low price of a lesson learned and never make that mistake again.

But when you buy something for dirt cheap and then later find out that your newly acquired item is indeed quite valuable and sought after, you may find the thrill so addictive that you too will find yourself permanently joined with the ranks of America’s Urban Treasure Hunters.

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