BRITS are being urged to dust off their old comic collections after a rare stash from the ‘80s sold for a whopping £5,000 at auction.
The nostalgic haul, packed with classic issues from a beloved comic series, sent collectors into a frenzy as bids soared.
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With demand for vintage comics at an all-time high, experts say you could be sitting on a fortune – so it might be time to check your shelves!
A hoard of rare Discworld treasures has fetched over £5,000 at auction – proving Terry Pratchett’s fantasy world is as magical as ever.
The sale, held by Richard Winterton Auctioneers, featured dozens of must-have collectables, including Clarecraft figurines, books, board games, puzzles and even a signed picture.
Among the biggest sellers was a set of four boxed figurines, including The Librarian Bookend and The Ankh-Morpork Handshake, which raked in an impressive £420.
Pratchett’s beloved Discworld series, spanning 41 books from The Colour of Magic to The Shepherd’s Crown, continues to captivate fans – and these auction results prove his legacy is more valuable than ever!
Auctioneer Richard Winterton said: “We’re seeing more and more generational collectables achieving impressive hammer prices at auction.
“Neo-vintage items can prove as popular as traditional antiques – sometimes more so – as tastes change and a new generation of collectors get the bug for bidding.
“Sir Terry Pratchett’s loyal fanbase, combined with the vast creativity found in his work, helped Discworld expand to various collectable items.
“This comprehensive single-owner collection totalled an impressive £5,050 under the hammer in Lichfield.”
Experts believe that some people could have nostalgic hidden treasures lying around in their homes.
The Beanie Toys that every nineties kid had in their bedroom can certainly fetch a few quid now.
Back in 2015, a couple bought a £10 Beanie Baby at a car boot sale – only to discover they’d managed to get their hands on the world’s rarest version.
The toy, worth up to £62,500, was one of the 100 Princess Diana memorial bears.
According to This Is Money, original toys – like Flash the Dolphin or Legs the Frog – could earn a couple of hundred pounds.
Top tips for selling on eBay
NEW to eBay? It’s head of secondhand, Emma Grant, reveals how to optimise your listings:
- Use key words – eBay automatically filters listing titles for key words, so it’s crucial to use the terminology people search for – especially brand and product names.
- Choose the right category for your product – It might sound obvious but it’s important to always choose the most specific category to sell in.
- Pictures are important – Most users will not bid on items they cannot see. For best results, take photos in natural light against a neutral background and be honest about any scratches or damage to the item.
- Be as detailed as possible – Be honest about the condition of the product and be sure to note any wear and tear.
- Look at past sold items– eBay has a function that allows you to search for the item you want to sell and then filter the results by sold items. Here, you can view the price the item has sold for and get insight into how others have listed it.
- Selling Sundays – Get the timing right. The busiest time for buyers is Sunday evenings, so schedule your listings to end around that time. Opt for seven-day auctions to ensure the max number of bids. The longer your item is listed, the more chance of people seeing it, so unless it’s time-sensitive, pick seven days. December is the busiest month on eBay.
- Be realistic with pricing – Try searching for similar items on eBay, to make sure you’re going for the right price and always ask yourself “would I pay this price for this item?”
- Donate to charity – When listing your item, consider donating a percentage of the sale to a cause of your choice – from 10% to 100% – you can donate the funds raised from your item straight from the platform.
Mental Floss reported that one of the original Furbies dating back to 1998 sold for $705 (£527) on eBay, while Money Digest revealed that a super-rare Bejewelled Furby sold for $6,400 (£4,800) last year.
And if you happened to own the Rainbow Furby – of which only three were ever made – then you could certainly rake in even more.
For Harry Potter fans who made sure to grab a copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone when it was first published in June 1997, you might just be sitting on a house deposit.
According to the Harry Potter fan site MuggleNet, the original book, which has the first-edition cover art and typos, could fetch between $30,000 and $50,000 (£22,900 – £38,200).
Only 500 copies were printed, so if you were lucky enough to snag one, head to First Edition Books or eBay to see how much it could earn.
Do you happen to own original games like Super Mario Bros. 3 from the Nintendo classics?
Well, this could fetch you a life-changing amount of money.
In 2020, CNet reported that a sealed copy of Super Mario Bros. 3 earned $156,000 (£119,000) at auction.
Meanwhile, The Verge revealed that another untouched version of the game sold for $2 million (£1.5 million)
Remember the days when you’d head to Blockbuster to rent a film recorded onto a VHS tape?
The Mail Online reported that some classic films have sold for five-figure sums on eBay – including 101 Dalmatians, which was still in its sealed packaging and sold for £15,000.
The tapes need to be in good working condition and barely touched to fetch a significant amount.
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