What Collectibles Are Hot at the Pawnshop?

06 Oct What Collectibles Are Hot at the Pawnshop?

Sometimes people are surprised to find that something that has been collecting dust on their shelves can be worth something at the pawnshop. At the same time, we have had to disappoint some customers who brought an item to our Boca Raton pawn location only to find out that it no longer has the value they thought it did. 

The collectibles market can be fickle and can fluctuate greatly – as anyone who ever has watched one of those old episodes of Antiques Roadshow on PBS that shows whether the appraised value of an item has gone up or down over the years will know.

The market for collectibles is not static. As tastes change or time passes, some things gain in value while the demand for others may decrease. You would probably need a crystal ball to figure out where the collectible market will be years from now, which is one of the reasons why, if you are going to collect something – whether it is teapots, Star Wars paraphernalia or antique jewelry – it should be something that brings you great pleasure. 

Trending Collectibles in 2020

Earlier this year, undoubtedly the hottest collectibles were toilet paper and hand sanitizer (and you might have been able to get a pretty penny for them if you had brought them in to the pawnshop!). Now that the kinks have been worked out of supply chains across the country and it is easier to purchase those items, we can once again focus on more traditional collectibles.

Shawn Surmick of Antiques and Auction News has put together a list of what’s hot and what’s not this year. 

At the top of Surmick’s list are graded and vintage video games. “Collectors are now willing to pay thousands of dollars for factory-sealed video games from the vintage years that they will never play, just as long as they are graded and encased in plastic,” he says. “Make no mistake the market has legs but is overheated.” With that in mind he advises caution.  

Also on the list: 

• Art Deco furnishings and related collectibles. 
• Antique and vintage firearms
  Luxury collectibles like Rolex watches and Hermes Birkin handbags
• Mid-Century Modern furniture 

Sometimes people are surprised to find that something that has been collecting dust on their shelves can be worth something at a pawn shop. If you’re not sure if your collectibles are valuable, please contact us. At Barry’s Pawn & Jewelry in Boca Raton, we always have time for you.