3 Hot Vintage Valuables That Might Be Hiding in Your Home

With 30 years of reselling under my belt, I’m the go-to guy when friends need a quick appraisal. And over the years I’ve noticed a recurring phenomenon: The vintage items most people consider valuable usually aren’t, and the things they want to toss are often hot collectibles.

Here’s why: Many of us get our idea of what’s valuable from our parents. But markets change, and new collectors have different tastes.

What disregarded treasures are hiding in your home right now? The answers might surprise you. In this series, we’ll explore hot collectibles you might already own.

1. Pottery by Polia Pillin

Born in Poland in 1909, Polia Pillin immigrated to the U.S. when she was 15. In the years that followed, she studied art in Chicago, married poet William Pillin, and moved to Los Angeles. In L.A., she set up a studio in her garage and began a long and prolific career as a ceramicist.

Pillin’s pieces have an otherworldly quality to them. Most feature misty images of women, horses, birds or fish. Rich color choices are muted by over-glazes that give her painted images their dreamlike effect.

Pillin’s signature is worth special mention. Handwritten with bold strokes on the underside of each piece, the name “Pillin” looks like “rillin” with a large, but lowercase “r.” To collectors, the signature is unmistakable, but I’m sure it’s confused many treasure-hunters over the years.

On Etsy, this stunning Pillin table lamp is listed for $3,750, and this set of six sake cups is listed for $900.

2. Vintage oil rain lamps

If you’re a baby boomer or Gen Xer, you may remember the funky lounge vibes of the 1970s. If not, imagine sunken living rooms, wall-to-wall shag carpet and mesmerizing oil rain lamps.

These neo-classical (or neo-neo-classical?) inspired lamps typically hung from the ceiling (though pedestal and table-top versions do exist). When turned on, a bulb would illuminate a central figure or scene. “Rain” droplets (actually mineral oil) would flow along thin filaments all around the lamp, creating a peaceful rain or fountain effect.

Most rain lamps were manufactured in Taiwan by a company called Creators Inc. But brand matters less than condition and the lamp’s central figure. Unsurprisingly, nude and partial nude figures sell best.

This Greek goddess-inspired lamp recently sold for $510 on eBay, and this rustic mill-themed lamp sold for $250.

3. Wooden Munising bowls

The next time you grab an apple from the kitchen, take a closer look at the old wooden bowl that holds it. Is there a mark underneath that reads, “Munising”?

Munising Woodenware was established in the early 1900s in Munising, Michigan, in the state’s Upper Peninsula region. Though the company made a variety of wooden products, utilitarian bowls crafted of either maple or beech have become an in-demand collectible.

The Munising mark can be found on the underside of bowls. The brand was literally branded — or burnt — into the wood. Different iterations of the wordmark help date pieces.

Recently on eBay, this 15.5-inch Munising bowl sold for $159.99, and this 15-inch bowl with green paint, sold for $89.

Pro tip: Bigger is better when it comes to Munising bowls. Pieces with a diameter of 11 inches or more are harder to find and more valuable to buyers. And while bowls with original paint are highly sought after, freshly-painted bowls are merely restoration projects.

Collectibles everywhere!

Here’s my favorite thing about appraising, collecting and reselling: There’s something wonderful and valuable in every category imaginable. From kitschy lamps to old wooden bowls, treasures (and eager buyers) await.

Retire the idea that the only valuable antiques are those cast in bronze. The chair you’re sitting in right now could be far more valuable. Or the threadbare concert T-shirt you’re wearing. Or that ugly vase on the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet.

Curious about the surprising world of contemporary collectibles? Check out my series on hidden treasures in the secondhand market.