You could be sitting on a fortune. Here is a list of ten valuables most likely to be left in people's attics.
Toy Cars – Dinky and Corgi toys from the 1970’s are rapidly increasing in value. Classics include: a Dinky Vulcan bomber aeroplane worth over £1,000; Corgi’s model of James Bond’s Aston Martin DB6 which has made as much as £900 at auction; Corgi’s set of Chipperfield Circus vehicles and models of “Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang“.
Toy Dolls – Not so much the plastic figures manufactured in the 1960’s and 1970’s (although even some of these are increasing in value), but those with china heads made earlier on and hidden away in a cupboard for years due to their fragile nature.
Toy Teddy Bears – Especially by German manufacturer Steiff. The old, early and unusual versions with a particular type of plush, pads, stitching or integral growling mechanism are of particular value.
Picture frames – check any inherited paintings more carefully. Sometimes the frame can be worth more than what it is surrounding and there are specialist dealers in St James in London selling nothing other than valuable picture frames.
Asian Art – Often an item of Asian Art (which can extend from China to Japan through Thailand, Korea, the rest of South East Asia and India) that appears to be very plain and simple can in fact be very early in its date of manufacture and valuable. The majority of Oriental items sold to British people on holiday or working in places like Hong Kong as being “genuine” frequently turn out to have been made a short time before sale, but there will always be a few items that actually were and are “genuine” and now worth considerable sums of money.
Post War Designer Furniture – Despite the current vogue for reproductions of classic contemporary furniture designs by names the likes of Charles and Ray Eames, it is worth remembering that there are many un-sung or lesser known heroes of this genre – such as Carlo Mollino or Ettore Sottsass who are now commanding high prices.
Silver with rare Hallmarks – such as the assay offices of Dublin, Exeter or even Norwich as opposed to the more usual hallmarks of London, Birmingham and Sheffield, as well as the marks of more collectible silversmiths like Omar Ramsden.
Glass Paperweights from around the world – The most famous names are Baccarat, St Louis and Clichy but North America is also a major centre for the production of extremely valuable glass paperweights. Two names that are still producing fine paperweights in the US are Paul Stankard and Debbie Tarsitano.
Stamps – people often inherit lots of correspondence when elderly relatives die and this may include stamps, which have now become collectors’ items.
Books – Books are always worth checking carefully. Whilst a first edition with a personalised inscription by the author speaks volumes, a lesser-known tome with a flaking leather cover and possibly written in Latin may be more of a challenge.
