Start a Vintage Collection

Have a favorite team? Seek out old pennants professing your fandom. Some are really old, by the way. Felt pennants sporting team logos date to the early 1900s, when they started popping up in catalogs. Many of the oldest iterations were handmade and more prevalent on Ivy League campuses but became more mass-produced in the ’30s, ’40s, and beyond. If you stumble across a super-old one with a hand-stitched appliqué, it could be quite valuable (think $500!).

Calling all camping enthusiasts! Originally used to specify expertise on ranger uniforms, these embroidered patches began popping up in the early 1900s. In 1949, the NPS held a contest in search of a new logo. The result was the now-iconic arrowhead (center), which contains symbols of the organization’s core facets and still adorns uniforms and official NPS items. This patch sparked more colorful, park-specific souvenir patches, which proved to be affordable tourist favorites.

If tennis is your thing, seek out colorful retro canisters. Fun fact: Although the modern version of tennis dates to the early 18th century, the balls we know today only became possible after the invention of vulcanized rubber in 1844. Early makers included recognizable names like Wright & Ditson, Dunlop Warwick, and Wilson Sporting Goods (the latter is credited with introducing the standard three-ball tube in 1926). Cans’ worth varies depending on condition and age, but keep one thing in mind while you search: An unopened can is always more valuable (although opened ones make for cute pencil holders).

These commemorative pieces were introduced in the ’60s as tokens for Boy Scout volunteers and employees. “Collecting mementos is a distinct aspect of Scouting culture, an activity that’s passed on from generation to generation,” says Stephen Medlicott, former group director of marketing for the Boy Scouts of America. Crafted by several different pottery companies (many based in Ohio), mugs can be found at flea markets for around $10.

Granted, you probably didn't need us to tell you that you can collect toy cars—they're a classic for good reason—but look how cool they are when housed in a 1920s hardware store cubby! To narrow down your search, consider seeking out something more specific, like turquoise trucks or camper vans.

This is a high-gratification collectible, because you can rarely enter a flea market or antique store without spotting one. While collectors of 19th-century soda bottles typically hunt according to shape, enthusiasts focused on 20th-century finds more often seek out applied color label, or ACL, styles such as those shown here. Produced between the 1930s and 1970s, these bottles are beloved for their graphic punch. Most on the resale market today fetch between $5 and $35. Amber glass is rarer than clear or green, and tricolor labels (Texas Punch, Top-Notch) are a prize find.

Life-size ice-cream trucks are largely credited to Harry Burt, the inventor of the Good Humor ice-cream bar who eventually corralled his own fleet to sell treats in the 1920s. The ice-cream truck soon became an American icon, and toy-makers the world over capitalized on the craze with their own miniature versions featuring wind-up or friction motors. While you can seek out rare versions by makers like Linemar and Lesney, most of the trucks shown here are midcentury Japanese-made and go for $10 to $30 each

Let everybody else carry the modern Stanleys. These classic containers date to 1892, when scientist Sir James Dewar developed the first vacuum insulation technology. His inventions were brought to the U.S. by William B. Walker in 1907, and the American Thermos Bottle Company was born. Its top competitor, the Icy-Hot Bottle Company of Cincinnati, Ohio (shown at center), merged with the Thermos company in 1925, while the legendary Stanley company (top right) has continued making its own iconic version since 1913. Most midcentury thermoses are valued at less than $100, but older versions (think pre-1940) can be worth more than $1,000!

Give a retro spin to game night by seeking out cool and quirky old board games. (There are some real doozies out there.) If you're more interested in the history, seek out early incarnations by Milton Bradley. The young lithographer launched a U.S. version of The Checkered Game of Life, in 1860, which led to the eventual introduction of more than 1,000 games. Sealed, unopened boxes often double the value, but you can’t put a price on the joy of a good ol’ vintage game night.

While technology has evolved dramatically since French company Babolat invented racket strings in 1875, the basic shape and structure of the racket has remained mostly the same. Wooden rackets by brands like Bancroft, Spalding, and Slazenger were common throughout the 20th century until aluminum and graphite alternatives popped up in the 1960s and ’70s. Most midcentury rackets are affordable ($25–$30), but watch for special-edition collaborations which can snatch more depending on the player (Chris Evert and Jack Kramer are especially coveted).

Prior to the invention of electronic key cards in 1975, hotels and motels doled out room keys with an attached key fob. While high-end properties preferred weighty brass, roadside motels relied on less costly plastic pieces, which made keys hard to lose and, in a pre-Google world, served as a reminder of the property address. Today, the key chains make for a delightfully retro desk drawer collection, with most on the market valued between $15 and $30 apiece. Collectors typically seek out specific colors or cities, though the rare fob from a motel made famous—or infamous—by a historic event is considered the ultimate prize.

Founded in 1867, Cincinnati-based printing company Russell, Morgan & Co. (the name later changed to the U.S. Playing Card Co.) issued their first playing cards in 1881. While Bicycle (introduced a few years later) is the most well-known of the company’s brands, it’s their Congress line that was the cream of the crop. The higher priced cards were originally printed under two stocks: the standard No. 404 and the deluxe No. 606, which sported fancy gold edges that later became the standard. Recognized by their pictorial backs—from early mythological characters to, later, dogs, flowers, horses, and more—the stylish cards were marketed for home entertaining. In the 1920s, they introduced double decks of narrower cards to accommodate the huge rise in popularity of Bridge, some of which are still being produced today.

Distributed at the beginning of each football season at high schools and colleges (and, now, professional leagues), these handy booklets detailed the season’s schedule and sometimes featured player profiles or were custom made for particularly high-stakes games, like championships or rivalries. Most showcase illustrated cover art and make for affordable collector items at around $10 apiece, but a few rare finds have garnered thousands from bidders on eBay, like a program from the 1926 Alabama vs. Washington Rose Bowl game.

If you're more into baking, look to these bird-shaped baking vents that date back to the 1930s and take inspiration from an old nursery rhyme (“4 and 20 blackbirds baked in a pie”). Playing a crucial role in the pie-baking process, the ceramic vessel’s vented structure allows steam to escape during baking, thus preventing filling-overflow disasters. They're pretty cute to boot.

Fervor for these crown jewels first surged recently as Britain’s longest-reigning royal, Queen Elizabeth II, celebrated the country’s first-ever Platinum Jubilee, then again after her passing. Pieces from her 1953 coronation are highly coveted, and coffee cups, ring dishes, and tea and candy tins are most abundant on the resale market. Rarer finds, such as souvenir programs and teapots (note the unique carriage shape shown at bottom left), fetch higher prices.

The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 established the U.S.’s interstate system and cemented our love of long-haul road trips. Travelers were eager to bring home mementos from new destinations, and decorative plates became a top-selling souvenir between the 1950s and 1980s. Lattice styles (center) and smaller sizes are rarer finds, but value is often set by larger diameters, condition, and rarity of destination. (Western states are more common finds, as they were popular tourist attractions for road-trippers from the East and Midwest.) Prices can reach $25 per plate, but savvy searchers know to look for under $5 options at estate sales.

Party horns, toy trumpets, noisemakers—these cacophonous cones go by many names, but all have inspired revelers to pucker up and blow (or jam fingers firmly into ears!). Despite the inevitable din, horns of different sizes and materials make for a pretty patriotic display. Look for hardboard “Jolly Horns” from the 1950s (center, valued around $40 each), as well as tin or paper parade horns fashioned with wooden mouth pieces from the early to mid-20th century (valued around $45 apiece). Most sellers note whether horns still work but, if you’re hoping to use them, do double-check. (But before you do that, maybe give it a wipe-down first.)

The fun guides feature all sorts of survival skills and outdoorsy know-how. Frank H. Cheley, founder of Cheley Colorado Camps in Rocky Mountain National Park, wrote more than 40 camp-related books in his lifetime. These brochures remain in the Cheley archive, but similar items can be scouted online at $25 apiece. Guidebooks are more readily available, with paperbacks garnering between $8 and $20, while hardbacks go for up to $60. A 1930s copy of The Boys’ Book of Camp Fires by Cheley goes for around $45. Especially rare finds, like a 1912 first-edition Camp Fire Girls paperback, can nab up to $500 or more.

Long before Ben met Jerry, Alfred L. Cralle invented and, in 1897, patented the Ice Cream Mold & Disher after noticing how difficult it was to separate frozen food from serving spoons. In a testament to his great design, the scoop remains largely unchanged 12o+ summers later. For a colorful and useful collection, look for unchipped gadgets with working springs from the 1950s.

The Underwood Typewriter Co. popularized 1/2-inch-wide ribbon housed in hockey puck-like typewriter ribbon tins alongside the 1896 introduction of its machine. Casual collectors seek out Art Deco and midcentury graphics. Higher value tins tend to be flatter, pre-spool styles from the 1800s and “tall tins” from the days of wider, 1 1/2-inch-wide ribbon.