This One Item in Your Grandmother’s Home Could Be Worth Up to $23,000

Some of the things in your grandmother’s home probably cost her no more than a few dollars several decades ago. Today, they can be worth thousands. A cluttered attic, closet, garage, or basement often contains valuable possessions. We've compiled a list of 10 of the most common vintage items that are worth hundreds or thousands of dollars on auction sites or with antique dealers. (Find more items that are worth a fortune by reading “These Popular Boomer Collectible Items Are Worth Insane Amounts of Money Today.”)

Every home should have a cast iron skillet as they're one of the greatest cooking pans for items like cornbread or fried chicken. Antique cast iron skillets made by Griswold or Wagner sell for hundreds of dollars online.

On a site like Elsie Green, antique copper pots sell for close to $1,000. Copper is known for its even heating, but it is harder to keep clean. Tarnished copper's sheen can be restored by cleaning it with salt pressed into half a lemon.

Today's CorningWare tends to be monotone with little decoration. Most of us know it as the ribbed white cookware for casseroles, quiches, and cakes. Vintage CorningWare used to have images like sunflowers on the sides. Those vintage bakeware sets are worth a bundle. Certain patterns sell for more than others. Spice of Life sells for thousands.

Decorative cut crystal glassware could be a set of vintage drinking glasses or an old candy dish. For many Gen Xers, it wasn't surprising to find a covered cut crystal candy dish with mint candies in your grandmother's home. Certain designs are more valuable than others. Items from the 1930s and 1940s or earlier are among the most desirable. An online antique dealer is selling a Kings pattern glass punch bowl made by Hawkes for more than $23,000.

To make enamelware, powdered glass is affixed to a steel frame, dipped in enamel, and fired in a kiln. Many kitchens had pots, kettles, and enamelware mugs. Vintage enamelware varies in price. Some pieces bring less than $50, but less common patterns and designs sell for hundreds.

Jadeite is a sturdy mineral with a distinct green color. It's that color that makes jadeite mixing bowls so desirable. It's not the darker green people associate with jade. Instead, it's a milky seafoam green. If you spot them in a vintage store, get them before someone else does.

When rationing became part of life during WWII, produce grown in Victory Gardens was preserved to last as long as possible. Women stockpiled as many Mason jars as possible. Today, those antique Mason jars are valuable. Blue Ball jars made between 1910 and 1923 sell for more than $1,000 on sites like Etsy.

In the 1970s, smoked glass crystal was found in homes across the nation. Lighting fixtures, glasses, and even plates and bowls were made from smoky gray or brown glass. Vintage glassware sells for upwards of $50, but chandeliers sell for hundreds. If the chandelier was made in Italy, they've been known to sell for thousands.

Even when it's mismatched, sterling silver flatware is valuable. As it was usually stored in wooden boxes, it's typical to find a complete set. Look for the stamped hallmark to confirm the pieces are genuine sterling silver. The U.S. used the words "Sterling," "Coin," "Pure Coin," or "925," but not every company marked silver. For items made in England, that hallmark would be a crown, lion, or "n." The French used the profile of the Goddess Minerva.

Etsy has sets of vintage champagne flutes valued at $200 or more. The age, condition, and design play a role in their value. What you need to look for are hollow stems. That design is less common and worth a lot of money.

Don't rely solely on the things in your grandmother's home. Thrift stores often fail to realize the value of items donated to them. A woman purchased a $4 vase from Goodwill in 2023 and learned that it was a valuable antique worth more than $100,000. Check out these "12 Thrift Stores in Brooklyn" for a few stores to explore when you're in New York.