Spell It: Old cards, toys and video games... transform them from trash to treasure
We learn how items from past decades are now worth several times their original price
Chances are, there are old, forgotten items lying around your house that are worth a fortune… or at least a few thousand Dirhams!
Click start to play today’s Spell It, where you can create the word “collect” with the letters provided.
Nowadays, there is a market for almost any kind of collectible, from dusty, neglected toys to vintage Pyrex casserole dishes. Here are a few items that can be transformed from trash to treasure:
1. Retro video games
Chances are, if you grew up in the 1990s, you’ve played video games that are now considered to be ‘retro’. Super Nintendo put out plenty of limited-edition games and Japanese imports at the time that are now worth several thousand Dirhams. Even regular titles, like Super Mario RPG, Mega Man X3, and Harvest Moon, which were big hits at the time, have been known to sell today at about approximately $600 (Dh2,204).
2. Polly Pocket
Remember the inch-high toys that would fit into your pocket? This craze of the 1990s has been given a second life on second-hand trading websites like eBay. A Peter Pan Polly Pocket can easy close at $300 (Dh1101) and loose pocket-sized houses can bring in $250 each (Dh918).
3. Pokémon cards
Cards from the popular trading game may have been lying around your house in the 1990s, and could be stored in a box in your home even today. Complete sets can go for thousands of Dirhams today, on trading websites. And if you have incredibly rare cards, you’re likely to pocket tens of thousands of Dirhams. For instance, recently, the holograph Charizard sold for $11,999 (Dh44,072). Even if your cards are not that rare, make sure they’re in mint condition and they’re likely to pay off.
4. Pyrex dishes
People love vintage Pyrex for some reason. Butter dishes sell for $225 (Dh826) online and bowl sets go for more than $300 (Dh1101). So, if you’ve got some old dishes that you never use, could it be time to cash in?
Have you ever traded your collectible items? Play today’s Spell It and tell us at games@gulfnews.com.