Do you have thousands of dollars' worth of antique dolls and old clocks in your attic?

Many of us have a tendency to hoard items in the loft, but your attic may contain thousands of pounds' worth of anything from coins and antique jewelry to war memorabilia

We consider the potential sale price.

It's worth carefully going through your loft or attic if it's filled with decades' worth of belongings because you might find priceless items worth thousands of pounds.

Our storage areas may contain valuable items worth a significant amount of money, ranging from rare coins and stamps to vinyl records and antique jewelry.

A Platinum Blue Sapphire No Heat Sri Lanka 18K Diamond Ring recently sold for almost 18,000, while the insurance company Homeprotect reports that vintage engagement rings sell for an average of 7,277 on eBay.

EDF Energy's research indicates that 25% of us dislike going upstairs in our home's loft. Nonetheless, organizing your loft or, with consent, an elderly relative's attic could be a profitable endeavor. Old VHS tapes and collectibles like Barbie dolls, Jellycat soft toys, and antique furniture could be found.

Chief customer officer David Joyson of Homeprotect remarks: "It's amazing how much value can be found in commonplace items that may have been collecting dust in an attic, garage, or old cupboard; some of these items are now selling for thousands of dollars.

To find out what common household items from grandparents' homes are most valuable when sold on eBay, Homeprotect conducted a study.

The older generation may be clinging to sentimental and financially valuable items because they may have experienced events like World War II.

We look at what the most valuable items are likely to be and how much they might fetch.

Keep in mind that the buyer decides how much to spend and the seller determines how much to list an item for. Therefore, just because something sold for a high price tag doesn't mean it's worth that much.

Most important things.

According to the study, the most valuable things you're likely to find in an elderly relative's attic are coins and stamp collections, especially rare 50p coins.

After antique furniture, vintage jewelry is the second most valuable category.

Homeprotect claims that certain designers are in high demand; for example, a set of four chairs by Danish designer Borge Mogensen sold for 8,000. Earlier this year, a mahogany breakfront bookcase sold for almost £5,000, demonstrating the high value of 18th-century furniture.

Vinyl records, particularly those from the 1960s, are in fourth place and are selling for an average of almost £4,000. An Andy Warhol-signed promo copy of The Velvet Yellow Underground and Nico, which sold for £6,747, is one of the recent high-profile sales.

When selling clocks on eBay, it appears that the older the better, and hand-carved clocks also sell well, with an average price of £2,671.

Antique lamps (1,867), antique posters (1,829), WW1 medals (1,554), and porcelain dolls (2,006 average price) round out the most valuable items you might find in an attic.

Apr. 2025, Homeprotect. In order to determine the top nine items, it examined 15 categories of household items that are frequently found in grandparents' homes. The average price of the five priciest items in each category was determined by looking at recently sold eBay listings.

How to keep your loft's valuables safe.

Joyson of Homeprotect asserts that it's critical to make sure that any valuables are insured.

"It's worth getting them professionally valued if you or an elderly relative have items like these lying around, or if you come across an item you think may have a high value," he writes. "So you can make sure you have the right insurance because many insurers will ask you to specify an individual item on your policy, for example, if it's worth more than 1,500." If you don't do this, you might not be able to file a claim.

"If you have been named executor of an elderly relative's will and/or have financial power of attorney for them, it is worth auditing and valuing items in the event of their death to make sure you have a complete list of their assets and to understand the value, whether you intend to keep any treasured items or if you are considering selling anything in the future once the probate process is complete," he said.