While the best nonstick cookware sets can set you back a couple of hundred dollars, you may be surprised to learn that far more value could be lurking in your kitchen cupboards. If you’ve inherited any kitchenware from your family or the previous owners of your house, you could be sitting on a small fortune.
Before you go digging through your cupboards, take a look at the following six super valuable kitchen items to ensure you search in the right places.
1. Mason jars
Before you get too excited, most mason jars aren’t worth any more than what you paid for them at the dollar store. However, if you have genuine vintage mason jars, they could be worth a decent chunk of change. Some of the brands that can earn you a few hundred to a few thousand dollars include Ball, Willoughby, The Chief, and Van Vliet Improved.
2. Cookie cutters
Though the term “cookie-cutter” is often used to refer to things that are too common to be impressive, cookie cutters themselves can be anything but cookie-cutter. If you have a strange old metal cookie cutter in your cupboards, especially if it is unusually large or small, it may be worth getting it valued. Surprisingly, you can net up to US$1,000 for some cookie cutters, especially if they’re in good condition and you have a complete set.
3. Weird salt and pepper shakers
If you’ve inherited a set of salt and pepper shakers that you find low-key disturbing, this could be the excuse you’ve been looking for to get it out of the house. For some strange reason, people of the 20th century loved designing unusual salt and pepper pairs. For an even more inscrutable reason, some citizens of the 21st century are willing to pay top dollar to acquire these oddities. So, whether you have a set of creepy dolls or whales in top hats, clean those creepy salt and pepper shakers up and get them valued!
4. Anything old and colorful
Thanks to social media platforms like Instagram, anything that satisfies the criteria of being bright, kitsch, and vintage is blowing up on the collector’s market. So, if you’ve inherited grandma’s old Pyrex bowls or lime-green toaster from the 70s, you may be able to sell them for a surprising amount of money. The key here is that they must be in good condition as collectors want their pieces to be display-worthy (and in many cases, Insta-worthy).
5. Wrought iron and cast iron
From old cast iron pots and pans to wrought iron cooking utensils, the sturdier items in your kitchen can earn you a decent amount of money. They likely won’t fetch as much as a full copper cookie cutter set, but you can still net yourself US$20 to US$100 for some pieces, which is pretty decent for an old pot or wrought iron ladle.
6. Hand mixers
Long before women got to enjoy the benefits of diversity in the workplace, they had to make do with convenience in the kitchen. If you happen to have an old hand-cranked mixer, you can celebrate women’s rights by selling it to an antique collector for around US$75 (depending on its age and condition).
Even if you don’t have these items in your cupboards, there’s no need to be disappointed. Keep an eye out for them at garage sales and thrift stores, and you may be able to earn yourself a significant chunk of cash. Happy hunting!
