Memorizing Phone Numbers
We’re quite glad not to have to memorize phone numbers, honestly. Some people were really good at it, but most of us had those fancy flip-up record books that we kept next to the landline. Now that you have a minimum of 10 digits to remember, good golly, isn’t it a relief we have cell phones to store them all?
Of course, it’s important to remember the most essential numbers, like your own! You have no idea how many people don’t know their own digits! Partners, children, parents, best friends, all these people’s numbers should be at least ingrained in your memory. You never know when an emergency will strike and you won’t have your phone nearby.
Using Rotary Phones
Watching kids today look at these phones in utter confusion is quite hilarious! They were so simple, and the noise as the dial returned was quite unique. Ah, memories!
Of course, it took ages to actually dial a number, and button phones very quickly became all the rage when they were invented. Plus, if you had a manicure, there was NO WAY you were going to stick your finger in that hole! Pens worked well in that instance, though.
Using Phonebooks
Once a year, the phone company would print a book listing every client’s home or business number and deliver it around said clients’ homes. Everything was listed in alphabetical order for ease of use.Those phone books were so thick that, sometimes, people had strength competitions to see if they could tear one in half!
It wasn’t an easy feat then, but it probably is now. Phone books, if they’re still around, are so thin because very few people have landlines these days. Plus, you can just Google any phone number you might need.
Sewing at Home
As far as we’re concerned, sewing is a skill best left to those who were born with it! Clothing was very expensive in the old days, so making your own was something you had to do.
Thankfully, times are better, and dressmaking can be left up to the professionals who can work their magic and be paid for it. Although, sewing on a button should be something we should all know, right?
Posting Seasonal Cards
Christmas, birthdays, travel postcards, it was always exciting to get a card in the mail, especially if there was a crisp note inside for you! With the internet, though, it’s just easier to send a wish online.
Plus, if you want to add a gift, there are places like Amazon that will do it all for you. We don’t know about you, but we would love to get a Christmas card. Then again, it might get lost in the mail…
Reading a Map
Summer vacation coming up? Wanting to attempt a road trip? Well, get out your maps and compass because that’s how Boomers used to travel! Yes, those huge pieces of cartography would be well-worn with all the new folds by the time the destination was reached.
Consider yourselves very lucky to have all of that and more on your phone or even built into your car. You can find a gas station very easily now. Back then, you would have to plan your route to each stop or pray you’d find one along the way.
Using an Encyclopedia
If you walked into someone’s house and saw the entire Encyclopedia Britannica on a shelf, you would think — no, know — that the residents in this house were wealthy. They were a set of so many books, all filled with facts and information about anything and everything.
You’ve seen the meme: be nice to your Boomers because they grew up without Google. Yeah, they had super heavy books to search through for stuff. Hey Google, where can we pick up some Encyclopedias?
Reading a Newspaper
Once upon a time, most newsworthy information was relayed via printed newspaper, and if the news were especially important, newsboys (boys who sold newspapers) would stand on a little box and shout the headlines to get people to buy the paper.
With everything moving online and being reported at a rapid rate, it makes sense that printed newspapers are, perhaps not obsolete yet, but are certainly not as popular. Why would you spend money on news that was online yesterday?
Using Print Dictionaries
Again, the internet has taken over this tool. While some schools do insist that students have a paper dictionary, opening your browser window and Googling is just so much quicker and simpler.
Of course, having an actual dictionary with you while playing Scrabble is vital because you need to make sure Grandpa isn’t making up that word over the triple letter! And you know Grandpa won’t want confirmation of his cheating from a phone or computer!
Writing in Cursive
Cursive is such an art and very pretty to look at, especially if done neatly. Of course, now you have all those fancy fonts at your fingertips through your computer, but it’s just not the same.
We think it’s pretty sad that schools no longer deem this skill necessary to teach. Yes, it’s not as important as Math or English, but it’s a nice skill to have regardless.
Using Library Card Catalog
In the olden days (less than 15 years ago), if you had a project or assignment to do and you didn’t have access to those expensive Encyclopedia Britannicas, your best option was to visit your local library.
All books within a library are cataloged, and a card was made up for each one and placed inside a cabinet consisting of a lot of super-long drawers. You would search for the card like you would search Google, which would give you the book number, and then you would go and find that book.
Changing Your Oil
Cars need regular maintenance, and even more so back in the day. There weren’t that many mechanics around, so if you owned a car, doing the maintenance fell on your shoulders.
This is one thing we’re glad has changed. Changing your car’s oil is a messy business, and who wants to do it anyway when there are people you can pay to do it for you?
Driving Stick
We won’t lie, this one makes us feel very old. We’ve never driven an automatic, and yet, here we are, being told driving stick is out of fashion!
But perhaps we should look at it positively instead, as we have a skill that people are losing or won’t have anymore. We’ve been informed that automatic is the way to go, and it would seem so if the car manufacturers are anything to go by.
Traditional Grammar
WHY?! Why are we losing the battle for correct grammar?! This just makes us sad. Yes, we know, texting is the way things are done today, and texting is quick and to the point. But that shouldn’t come at the expense of using good grammar, does it?
We are, however, super grateful that sentences like this never took hold: “Any1 4 a nawti nite at the club?” Even if you have to use emojis, please never ever write like that!
Balancing Your Checkbook
Since we’re talking about obsolete Boomer life skills, we could even just say “write a check” here because checks are really out of date! So many countries have done away with them! Balancing a checkbook is definitely a thing of the past, as most people do all their transactions online.
At least most people we know. If your Granny is still writing checks, maybe take her under your wing and show her the simpler life. She will thank you for it — or might not if she’s stuck in those old ways.
Traditional Dating
Meeting your significant other these days is done online. It’s quite rare to meet someone face to face and ask them out on a date.
You just have to open your phone’s app store, and you’ll see numerous dating apps to download, promising you’ll find your soulmate amongst their users. It’s not only dating apps; people meet on all sorts of social media platforms, too, and decide, “hey, you’re my person — let’s get together.”
Ironing
Let’s be honest; ironing is the worst household chore EVER! We’re so happy that clothing material has improved to the point where you simply wash, dry, and fold, and that’s the end of it.
Back then, ironing clothes for any type of function was a must, and some clothes had to be ironed in a specific way. Shirt collars had to be crisp and perfectly starched. Dresses and slacks had to be crease-free. This is one we think the Boomers don’t mind losing.
Writing Letters
With social media the way it is, we’re connected to old friends and family more than ever. For people we would write a letter to, we can simply drop a line via Facebook.
Even if letter writing was still a thing, it’s just a waste of time and effort to place it in an envelope, write the address, add a stamp and post it when you can type something up and email it. But, perhaps once in a while, it would be lovely to receive a nice letter. Not a bill, Mr. Postman, a letter. Thank you.
Using a Fax Machine
Back in the day, businesses and some homes had a second phone line connected to a fax machine, where documents would be sent. You would place a document in the feeder, dial the number, and the feeder would copy the document, and a facsimile of the document would come out on the other side.
It’s pretty obvious why this has become obsolete. Email, instant messaging, and all these things are just so much easier and better today, thanks to the evolution of technology.
Using an Analogue Camera
Ooh, what a pretty sunset! Grab your phone, open the camera, press the button, and presto! You have a pic of your sunset. Before things went digital, getting that perfect sunset shot was no simple task! You had to buy a roll of film, open the back of the camera, carefully and quickly insert the film (because if you exposed the film, it was ruined), wind it, and then you were ready to take that shot. By then, the sun had probably already set.
On top of that, you had to wait until the film was full before taking it to a specialized developer to get your pictures. Only then would you see if your sunset came out correctly, and more often than not, it didn’t. These days you get to take 100 shots and can pick and choose which one would be your new Facebook cover picture.
Getting Up to Change the TV Channel
Remote controls for the TV were every kid’s breath of fresh air. It meant they no longer had the job of getting off the couch and changing the channel when Dad got bored with the news and wanted to watch football.
That said, Dad had control of the remote, and you could probably guarantee it would get lost in the recliner at some point. In which case, it became your job again to find it. Things are so much easier today.
Calling the Phone Operator
Back in the early days of landlines and home phones, you couldn’t just call your friend. You had to call an operator (as in an actual human) who would physically connect you to them.
These days we just ask our phones to call whomever we need to chat with, so in a way, we still have an operator. Her name is either Siri or Hey Google, depending on your phone.
Jell-O Everything
Some things are better left in the past. Like this one where everything, and we mean everything, that could be put in a Jell-O was put in a Jell-O!
You’re probably thinking of fruits and sweet things, but you would be wrong. Things like celery and cucumbers also ended up in Jell-O. It was a bizarre time, we won’t lie. Pretty but bizarre.
Using a TV Aerial
You know when you’re camping, and there’s no signal on your phone, and you’re crying to your parents because you can’t call your boyfriend/girlfriend? Yeah, that happened with TVs too!
Yup, those old massive boxes with a screen required an aerial to receive a signal so we could watch Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show. Sometimes, to improve that signal, the aerial would be wrapped in tin foil!
Using a Typewriter
Typing is a necessary skill as we all use keyboards today, but before those keyboards were attached to PCs, they were an all-in-one machine called a typewriter.
A ribbon was placed inside, and it lay against a crisp sheet of paper. As you hit a key, a hammer with that letter would bang against the ribbon, leaving an imprint on the paper. Making a mistake was frowned upon because there was no such thing as a whiteout, and you would have to start over.
Looking Through the Sears Catalog
Who remembers flicking through the crisp pages, drooling over all the new items Sears had in store? No, we neither, but we can imagine it elicited much excitement. Sears had it all, watches, clothing, baby wares; you name it! It was the department store for everything you could ever need, and you could order via the catalog too!
What a dream! Sadly the company went bankrupt, but not before being replaced by similar mail-order companies. Although no longer mail-order, online ordering is the new way to buy things, so as much as Sears is no more, they remain a trendsetter.
Calculating Change
Math. Yes, we hear your collective groan, and we agree. But Boomer cashiers needed to know math and how to calculate change in their heads. Cash registers didn’t have built-in calculators like they do today.
Adding up all the items, adding tax, taking your money, working out the change, and all in a matter of seconds, because time is of the essence. Thank goodness for calculators on our phones now!
Planting Veggies by Moon Phases
Yes, moon phases. While planting veggies in your backyard is encouraged, doing it by following the phases of the moon has faded into insignificance. Perhaps rightly so, as there’s really no scientific data to support the theory that your vegetables will grow better.
However, you did become more aware of Nature and her nightly loveliness. An added bonus was that nighttime gardening had a better result than any expensive “mindfulness spa.” We think we’ll stick to seasonal gardening, though.
Using Cassette Tapes
Remember on the weekends when we listened to the Top 40 on our favorite radio station, holding our finger over the record button, waiting for the DJ to stop speaking so we could catch and record the latest songs on cassette? Yeah, those were the days. It was a proper skill to get the song without any interruption from the DK or an ad!
These days we can simply open an app on our computer or phone and search for our song of the moment. Gone are the days when you’d have tape cases filled with “playlists.” Now they’re so easy to create!
VHS Tapes
We can’t talk about cassette tapes and not mention VHS tapes! Going to your local video rental and renting the latest movies was a great family activity on the weekend!
This, young readers, was also the original Netflix and Chill! So don’t give the Boomers in your life a hard time – they didn’t have it easy to pick a movie for a quiet at-home date night. They also had to REWIND said movie before returning it!
Using Shorthand
Now, this was a skill! You’ve heard it said that people need to keep the minutes of meetings? Well, in the old days, the way they recorded those minutes was by writing everything down. Yes, we know what you’re thinking. Writing everything down in a meeting with more than five people would be quite challenging, and it was.
So shorthand was invented. Shorthand was a language of symbols and helped secretaries keep track of important meetings. They would later type these out using a typewriter. Nowadays, people can easily record meetings on their phones.
Telephone Etiquette
Do you remember the days when you would answer your phone with your telephone number? To this day, we have no idea why we did this, but we suspect it was in case the person calling had dialed the wrong number.
Still, today some people don’t even say hi or bye. It’s most frustrating! Granted, today, anyone in your contacts calling you would appear on the screen, and you would answer accordingly. But not saying bye before you hang up? That’s just rude!
Using Fine China
Now, this isn’t to say Fine China is completely obsolete. Quite the contrary. If you’re someone who enjoys fancy dinner parties, you’re probably someone who has Fine China amongst their crockery.
Back in the day, when young Boomers got married, one of the first things they did was get a fancy Fine China set. Dinner parties were a measure of your standing in society, and the better the China, the higher your standing. We’re glad it’s not a thing nowadays; man, that stuff is expensive!
Putting Up Wallpaper
Wallpaper is actually so pretty, but it’s quite a hassle to put up. You have to get the right paste, make sure you’re putting enough paste on the sheet, and then, with the pasty wallpaper sheet with a mind of its own, attempt to stick it against the wall so that it’s perfectly aligned with the rest of the wallpaper.
These days, painting is just so much quicker and easier if you’re doing it yourself. If you want a wallpapered room or accent wall, it’s just better to call in those experts who are Boomers or who have been taught by Boomers how to properly place wallpaper.
Using Home Shopping Channels
Boomers had the Sears Catalog, but they also had home shopping channels. If you didn’t feel like going to the store, or you didn’t have access to some stores, shopping on your TV was where you went.
You would see something you liked, pick up your phone (definitely a landline), call the number on the screen and place your order and pay by credit card. So much easier today, isn’t it? Especially when some things can be delivered on the same day!
Yahoo
In the early days of the internet, we were all introduced to Yahoo! This was the biggest and best search engine and email platform of the time, and the Boomers in your life might still be using it.
Most of us have moved over to Google and Gmail, but we all know some Boomers who refuse to change and stick with what they know. Although, when needing answers, “Yahoo it” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as nicely as “Google it.” Sorry, Yahoo!
Installing Shag Carpets
Shag carpets were all the rage for perhaps 10 years, and, thankfully, they disappeared forever. Well, mostly disappeared. They may feel soft and cozy and welcoming in the colder months, but the maintenance on those things just makes them horrible.
These days, there’s underfloor heating, which allows you to have any type of flooring in your home that you want. So, just stick to a nice, low-maintenance area rug from now on.
Placing Toilet Seat Covers
Oh, joy! Grandma made us another toilet seat cover! Can you think of anything more gross?! Sure, like the shag carpets, it might feel cushy on your tushy, but what happens when an accident happens?!
Ugh, just the thought of the men in your life missing makes us want to gag! Sorry, Grandma, we’ll stick with the uncovered seat we have; thanks.
Buying Vinyl
Record players and vinyl records were the way you listened to music before CDs arrived in the ’80s. Vinyl records and their players were often considered an aesthetic piece of your decor. You even had special cabinets for your records.
Sadly, these records were easily damaged, and you really had to look after them if you wanted to keep them around. They’re making a big comeback, though, which is great to see, even if it is at a price.
Typing on a Phone
We all text these days, but when cell phones first appeared, they had keypads that weren’t on the screens. You really learned how to type on those old phones! See if you can decipher this: 444026066 666802022666 666 633777 (spaces are just between letters in the same word).
Today you just have to press the key once, and the phone can usually pick up what you’re trying to say. Although autocorrect has been known to get us into trouble… (Answer: “I am not a boomer”)
Using Bar Soap
Bar soap is seriously old school and, well, just gross. With all the shower gels, hand wash, and body wash around, bar soap is really obsolete. Well, it should be, in our opinion!
We get it, times are tough, and bar soap is cheap, but it also gets messy and ugly after a while. Especially if you leave it dirty; talk about a bacteria collector!
People Who Discovered Their Junk Was Actually Worth A Fortune
The value of an item is not determined by the place it is found, or so these people found out. These are people who have been in possession of junk without knowing those items were actually worth a fortune. With items ranging from a chess piece to a giant pearl, and even to a meteorite, we will examine 40 people who discovered that their junk was actually worth a fortune.
Michael Jordan’s Shoes
For a basketball fan, getting the shoes of Michael Jordan is a thing of dreams, and finding them unexpectedly is even more thrilling. This was the case of Larry Awe, who was a staff member at the Capitol Court Mall in Milwaukee.
Awe was cleaning up the storage room before its demolition and found a pair of sneakers that belonged to Michael Jordan. He saw Jordan’s signature on one of the shoes and instantly knew he had struck gold. The shoes are worth about $20,000.
Picasso’s Plate
Purchased in 1970 for less than $100, this Rhode Island woman had a plate designed by Picasso in her possession without realizing it. She had the plate hanging above her stove for many years, until 2014 when she discovered its real origins.
She went to appraise the plate on Antique Roadshow, a TV show when she learned that her plate was really a Madoura plate designed by Picasso in 1955. The plate is worth $10,000.
The Declaration of Independence
This is a case of a financial analyst living up to the expectation of getting value for his money, even though it was unintended. In 1989, this man bought a painting at a flea market for around $4, without knowing the Declaration of Independence was stuffed into the canvas.
He discovered the document after a while, and it turned out to be an original. In 1991, the document was sold for $2.42 million.
Andy Warhol’s Sketch
Garage sales are known for strange and funny junk, so you must be really lucky to find an item worth a fortune. This was the case for Andy Fields, who bought five sketches at a garage sale in Las Vegas. Fields paid $5 for these sketches and did not think much of them when purchasing them, even though the seller told him they were original Andy Warhol sketches.
Fields ended up framing one of the sketches and discovered the signature of Andy Warhol on the back. This sketch is valued at over $2 million, a gift from one Andy to another Andy.
Egyptian Jar
This woman noticed the striking resemblance which an Egyptian jar and her garden ornament shared and decided to have it checked out. Her intuition was right, as the Egyptian jar and garden ornaments were one and the same.
The jar which was created between 1550 and 1069 BC was built with a structure to hold a human liver. Due to the damage which the jar had, it was worth around £1000. Still a fair price for a garden ornament.
Szechuan Sauce
In 1998, McDonald’s released a limited edition product called the Szechuan Sauce, as part of a promotion for Disney animated flick Mulan. As expected, the sauce went out of circulation after promotion for the movie had ended.
However, the sauce was mentioned in the third season of popular animated sci-fi series Rick and Morty in 2017, and this revived public interest in Szechuan Sauce. Some families who still had the sauce in their possession made a small fortune off it, with one jug going for $15,350.
The Expensive Painting
A woman living in France decided to sell her house and got the pleasant surprise of discovering that her kitchen painting was actually worth a fortune. She had an auctioneer over to appraise her belongings when the auctioneer discovered her lovely kitchen painting was actually a 13th Century masterpiece.
Named Christ Mocked, it was one of the most popular works of Cimabue and one of the paintings which depicted the crucifixion of Jesus. The painting is worth over $6 million, and to think it was just hung up above her hot plate!
The Chess Piece
A part of a medieval chessboard, this chess piece was discovered in Britain. The medieval chessboard which is made of walrus ivory turned up on the Isle of Lewis in 1831, with five of its pieces missing. One of the five pieces was discovered in 2019 when a British family bought a new house in Edinburgh.
Apparently, the piece was purchased by the grandfather of the family for a mere $6. The piece, which was later recognized by the staff of the new house, is said to be worth $1.2 million. Perhaps the remaining four pieces are also sitting in private residences around the world.
Old Nintendo
Gamers would love this item, as old games have a special allure. This old Nintendo game was discovered by Scott Amos while cleaning out his childhood house. The game he found is an unopened Nintendo Kid Icarus game, which originally cost $38.45 when it was purchased.
However due to time and the perfect condition in which he found the game, it would go for about $10,000.
Painting In The Attic
Another painting found in France, this time found in an attic rather than hanging in the kitchen. This time the painting was found in Toulouse. This painting which was found amidst clothing, toys, and clocks is an original painting by Caravaggio, an Italian Renaissance artist.
The painting, just like Christ Mocked, is based on a biblical event and tells the tale of Judith and Holofernes in the Old Testament. The painting is worth up to $171 million. Not bad at all for an attic piece.
Not A Fake
Not many are as lucky as this lady who purchased a fake diamond ring which turned out to be an original. She came across the ring at the West Middlesex Hospital and paid just $13 for it.
After wearing it regularly for about 30 years, it was not until 2017 that she discovered the diamond in the ring was in fact 26-carats. The ring ended up being sold in an auction for a whopping sum of $800,000. Quite a profit made, one must say.
Cars in The Barn
If you know how expensive and desirable vintage cars are, you should be able to imagine the excitement this duo must have felt after discovering these cars. The cars were found in a 100-year old barn somewhere in France where they were stored by Roger Baillon.
The cars are certainly worth over $18 million. It seems France is the best place to find expensive junk.
Apollo 11 Artifact
NASA is an institution known to be quite daring with their projects, striving to be as precise as possible on every mission. This is why the auctioning of an Apollo 11 artifact for a mere $995 is very surprising.
The artifact is a sample of moon dust that Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong collected after their iconic moonwalk in 1969. After NASA mistakenly auctioned it off in 2016 to Nancy Carlson for just $995, she went on to sell it for much more in 2017 at a New York auction.
A Painting For The Hole
Yet another painting on the list, this time discovered in the United States of America and not France. The owner of this painting had purchased it alongside some furniture, and paid a very small amount for them. He used the painting to cover a hole in the wall of his house, until the day he came across a piece of art with a very similar print while playing the game Masterpiece.
He ended up selling the piece to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston for $1.25 million. Safe to say, Masterpiece helped him discover a masterpiece.
Billy the Kid
A collector, Randy Guijarro, purchased a 4-by-5 inch picture of Billy the Kid at a junk shop for just $2. The picture, which Guijarro found in a cardboard box, showed Billy the Kid playing croquet with his family, friends, and associates in 1878.
This piece turned out to be one of the only two genuine images of him that existed. In 2010, the picture was appraised and was confirmed to be worth $5 million.
The Royal Gem
A woman named Thea Jourdan purchased a brooch from a junk shop for about $27.56. She gifted the brooch to her daughter, Imogen, who wore it several times pretending to be a princess.
What Imogen did not know was that she actually had a piece royalty on her, as the brooch was in fact an early 19th-century royal gem. The gem, which could have been part of a tiara or necklace, is a 20-carat topaz stone worth $5,513.
A Picture of Jesse James
In 2017, Jason Whiting came across a picture that greatly resembled Jesse James on eBay, and made a decision to purchase it for around $10.
Purchasing the photo turned out to be one of the best decisions he made. Will Dunniway, a photo expert, identified the picture as an image of 14-year-old Jesse James. The picture is worth up to $2 million.
The Renoir Painting
This lady bought a Pierre-Auguste Renoir painting from a flea market, but was only concerned about the frame. A painting which she found in a box of trinkets, she put the gold frame to use, while putting the painting away in her attic.
After her mother cleaned the attack, she persuaded her daughter to take the painting for an appraisal at an auction house. It was there she discovered that it was indeed an 1879 painting by Renoir, which was worth up to $100,000.
World’s Largest Pearl
During a fishing expedition, a Filipino man struck what turned out to be the largest pearl in the world. The pearl weighs 75 pounds, is 2.2 feet long and 1 foot wide.
The man simply kept the pearl as a good luck token, keeping it under his bed. It was until a fire destroyed his house that the pearl was discovered. The pearl, which he ended up entrusting to his aunt, is estimated to be worth up to $100 million.
Winston Churchill’s Belongings
Having worked at a garbage dump for 15 years, David Rose would not have expected to come across the belongings of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at his work station.
Rose came across a collection of letters, a top hat as well as a cigar. He took these items to Antique Roadshow, where he learned that they were really items belonging to Winston Churchill. The items were valued at $13,000.
Meteorite at the Door
In Michigan, a man used a meteorite as a doorstop for more than 30 years. He claimed to have gotten the stone when he purchased farmland in 1998, with the meteorite coming as a gift with the farm. He took the meteorite to be examined at the Central Michigan University, where geology professor Mona Sirbescu examined it.
The meteorite was described by Sirbescu as one of the most valuable specimens he had ever come across. It was estimated to be worth about $100,000.
Navajo Blanket
The fortunes of Loren Krystzer changed when he discovered that his family heirloom was actually an original Navajo blanket. He was watching Antique Roadshow one day, when he saw a blanket that was valued at $500,000.
Noticing the striking resemblance to his own blanket, Krystzer had his blanket appraised at an auction house, and it turned out it was the same blanket he saw. The blanket ended up being sold for $1.5 million.
John Constable’s Painting
It appears that paintings are among the most underappreciated items. Purchased for £30 at an auction, this small painting by the English painter John Constable was stored away in a cupboard for almost a decade.
It was however examined by an antique dealer, who confirmed that it was indeed a John Constable piece and was worth up to $400,000. Time to check your cupboards for what might be antique items.
Apple Computer
It turns out this woman never got to know the value of her junk. The person in question dropped off her computer at Goodwill, after concluding it was not useful or worth anything. She did not even leave her name behind, showing that she just wanted to get rid of the computer.
Upon seeing the computer, workers at the store realized that it was actually an Apple 1 computer, a device worth $200,000. The owner never came back to claim it, even after the store offered to give her half of the computer’s worth.
Jaeger-LeCoultre Watch
Zach Norris struck gold when he came across a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch while looking to purchase a cheap golf cart. He paid $5.99 for the watch, not knowing he was buying one of the best Jaeger-LeCoultre watches ever made.
The watch, which he eventually sold for $35,000, has a special alarm feature for deep-sea divers. It was one of the first watches designed with this feature.
Expensive Doorknobs
A builder paid £20,000 for 655,000 brass items, with the intention of making a profit by selling them as scrap. Calling this a good investment is a bit of an understatement, as the items turned out to be worth at least £2 million.
While sorting the items, he realized that some of the items, particularly the doorknobs, resembled vintage pieces. He appraised them and his suspicion was confirmed.
Faberge Egg
Another case of metal scrap which was in reality worth a fortune. This time it turned out to be a Faberge egg. This egg was purchased by a scrap metal dealer at a flea market, and he paid $14,000 for it.
However, he soon found out that it was a Faberge egg, one of the only 50 produced for Russian royalty in the 19th Century. The Faberge egg is worth up to $20 million.
Jewelry Collection
This woman got a box of jewelry as part of her inventions and did not know the worth until she appraised it on Antique Roadshow.
The box contained a diamond bracelet with rubies, a dual diamond pendant, as well as a diamond and ruby ring. The diamond bracelet was worth $165,000, the dual diamond pendant worth $12,000 and the diamond and ruby ring were valued at $80,000.
Cash in the Closet
A caretaker was lucky enough to find cash in the closet of an apartment. He found the cash in a paper bag with the money amounting to $400,000.
That is not the best part of his discovery, as the cash he found was the currency used in the Depression era, therefore giving it more value in modern times. The $400,000 in modern-day currency is worth over $50 million.
Cherokee Satchel
This is not an heirloom, but it is sure worth a small fortune. This elderly woman got a Cherokee Satchel which her great-grandfather had owned.
She had it appraised in 2014, and learned that it was an 1846 Cherokee Satchel. The worth of the satchel is a sizable amount of $145,000.
Violin in the Trash
A man found a violin the trash and got a pleasant surprise when he discovered that it was a unique piece. After finding the violin in the trash, he decided that there was no harm in getting it appraised.
Good thinking one must say, as it turned out the violin was made by the popular Italian violin maker, Giuseppe Pedrazzini. Thankfully, the violin was still in good condition when he found it, therefore having a high worth of $50,000.
Libation Cup
A man purchased an item known as a libation cup from an Australian thrift shop in 2013, paying $4 for it. After a while, it was discovered that the libation cup was actually a traditional Chinese artifact.
This artifact was made from rhino horn and had been around for quite a while, giving it a high value. The man sold the libation cup for around $60,000.
Vertical Diamond
Another item discovered at a Goodwill store, the Vertical Diamond, brought Beth Feeback some money. She went to a North Carolina Goodwill with the intention of getting a blanket, but happened to stumble upon this painting. She took a liking to the painting and purchased it.
She later discovered that the painting was the work of Ilya Bolotowsky. The work is named Vertical Diamond was sold at an auction for $34,375.
The Sculptor’s Necklace
Norma Ifill purchased a necklace from a flea market in Pennsylvania, without really knowing what its worth was. The necklace was really beautiful, and she received many compliments whenever she donned it.
Norma had no idea what the origin of the necklace was, until she attended an exhibit hosted by Alexander Calder at the Philadelphia Art Museum. It was there that she learned that the necklace was made by Alexander Calder. She sold the necklace for $267,750.
The James Bond Watch
James Bond is one of the most-watched and most successful movie franchises in the history of film. Therefore the props used in the movies are clearly a big deal. The wristwatch which the title character used in the 1965 release Thunderball, went missing for decades.
It was put up for sale at a garage sale after resurfacing mysteriously, going for a very low price. The buyer made a big profit on the watch selling it at $163,000.
The Food Painting
Yet another painting on the list, this one was discovered in a thrift shop in Anderson, South Carolina rather than a kitchen or attic. It was spotted by an antique dealer at a thrift shop who was drawn to the frame which appeared expensive.
He paid just $3 for the painting with the hope that he would be able to make more off the frame. He, however, found out that the painting was a 1650 piece which was quite valuable. It was auctioned for $190,000.
Preparation to Escape To Egypt
This is a case of buying one product and getting one free. A couch was purchased by a student in Germany from a thrift store in Berlin. A pullout couch, the student paid $215 for it. He found a tiny oil painting inside the couch and decided to investigate its origins.
The painting turned out to be a piece known as Preparation to Escape to Egypt. This painting is believed to have been done between 1605 and 1620. The student sold it for $27, 630, quite a profit you would agree.
Yosemite Plates
Rick Norsigian bought some glass plates in the year 2000. These plates had images of the Yosemite National Park printed on them. Rick Norsigian paid $45 for these plates but end up making a huge profit on them.
It was later Norsigian got to know that these Yosemite plates were the work of Ansel Adams, a world-renowned photographer. The Yosemite plates were sold for $200 million.
Vince Lombardi
Siblings, Sean and Rikki McEvoy came across a sweater in a thrift shop in Tennessee. Sean paid less than a dollar for this sweater without knowing its origin.
It was until he watched a documentary based on Vince Lombardi that he realized the name of his sweater was that of the legendary American football coach. With the name tag, the sweater had great value and Sean sold it for $43,020.
Picasso’s Poster
It looks like Picasso left a whole of valuables in the world. Zachary Bodish spotted this poster in a thrift shop in Ohio. The poster was created for an exhibition of Picasso’s ceramic sculptures in 1958. Bodish paid $14 because it was neat enough, intending to have it for keepsake.
But he had a change of heart when he discovered a signature from Picasso himself on the poster. Bodish put the poster up for sale and got $7000 for it. It seems buying from thrift shops should be taken more seriously.
Times sure are different today than it was when our parents and grandparents were young adults. We hear them talk about walking to school barefoot in four feet of snow all the time, don’t we? While we sincerely doubt they did actually walk that far, they definitely did some things that were common at the time that are completely useless in our current times. Let’s travel through time and see what Boomer things are practically obsolete today.