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Cleaning Out The Attic? Look To See If You Have These Valuable Items
Most households in the U.S. have a collection of stuff that’s been bought over the years, whether it’s music, clothing, toys or books and just about everything else. However, something happens after an item reaches 30 years from when it was first sold. A couple of those products actually become extremely valuable. Call it nostalgia or collectability or plain old silliness, Americans have a serious connection to their past with things, and this list of valuable throwaways proves the case. You might even find one or two you had yourself growing up.
Metal Lunchboxes
Up until the 1980s, little school went to school with a metal lunchbox kit. This was a simple tin unit with a handle and a clip-securing lid. It had a matching thermos for hot liquid and enough space for two sandwiches, chips, a small snack and napkins. Today, most reusable lunch bags are Velcro, but if you grew up in the 1970s, not only was your box metal it was also usually your favorite superhero or cartoon character. Well guess what? They are now worth hundreds of dollars in good condition.
Old Microphones
People recognize the vintage stage microphones from the 1940s and 1930 because they were metal, vented, and had an odd boxy shape to them, as well as being seen in movies a lot. However, for anyone who is a serious audio tech or collector of microphones, there are a lot of other units that can catch a good dollar too. Some do come from the 1940s but other models showed up later in the 1970s. A Neuman U-47 can easily be worth close to $10,000, but there are plenty of other models worth a cool couple of hundred too. They do need to be in very good condition though.
Old Cellular Phones
When the term “old cell phone” is used, we’re not talking about your small flip phone from the 2000s. A really valuable old cell phone involves one of those units when mobile phone use first started in the 1980s. These things were the side of a brick with an antennae sticking out of one side. Lots of phones from those days show CEOs using one that they would carry in a briefcase it was so big. Today, they can run anywhere from $500 to as much as $10,000 simply because of the history they represent.
Da Boom Box
Yes, before there was Sony Walkmans and iPods there was the Boom Box. Essentially, this was a mobile tape playing music system that had two big speakers integrated in a plastic box with a tape player. Later models had the CD player instead, but they were already going out of fashion. It’s hard to find anything close to a Boom Box today, but some of the hardware store versions for construction sites still look like the original ghetto blaster from the 1980s. The original units, if still in good condition, can get well over $1,500.
Vintage Boogie Boards
Is there such as thing as retro boogie board? Yes, there is. These beach boards were very well made for their time, and they still function better than some of the units sold today. Vintage boards can easily command as much as $10,000 due to rarity, especially for one in good condition without cracks or dinks.
Original Polaroid Cameras
If one of your parents had one of these gems from the 1970s and early 1980s, you might be in luck. Working units can fetch over $400 in retro collectability. These things have become so interesting for later generations, Polaroid actually came up with a new version of the camera for today’s generations. It was the first camera to give a user an “instant” image, and lots of family photobooks have the unique prints in them.
Barbie Dolls
Not just any kids toy, the Barbie doll was the quintessential American girl’s toy. A lot of the collectability has been driven by adults wanting to find that one particular doll they grew up with or being fascinated by how many were made and are now rare to find. There are probably hundreds of Barbie versions at least count, but some will command at least $20,000 in value if not more. The original Barbie, for example, was made in 1959 and, if complete, commands as much as $24,000. One collector has 17,000 of them to her credit. Hope her kids have a good Roth IRA to stick all that money into when its passed on.
Vintage Chests
While they typically won’t qualify as a pirate’s booty, vintage chests are actually very much in demand. In particular, the old chests that show a lot of handcraft work in their construction tend to get top dollar. Now, in most cases people aren’t likely to have Louis Vuitton chest hidden away in the family closet, but many a soda crate from the early 20th century still gets a couple hundred dollars in buyers.
Cookie Jars
Don’t ask why these things are so popular, but they are. Almost all were made of ceramic and painted in glossy colors. They typically were crafted in the shape of an animal. Some of the rarest of this product can command as much as $1,200, and the cookie jars from the 1950s tend to be the most in demand.
Action Comics #1
We would be remiss not to include comic books. Action Comics #1 seems to have had enough prints distributed that one pops up every now and then producing a nice windfall for the owner. Why is it so special? This particular issue and comic book introduced the world to Superman, one of the first big superheroes in American cartoon lore. It was written in June 1938, just before World War II started.
Tamagotchi
Tamawhat? Yes, we hard a hard time saying it too. Tamagotchi was a late 1980s Japanese electronic toy where the child had to take care of a digital critter and keep it alive. They got points and happiness doing so. Ignoring their digital pet, and the critter got sick and then died. Bad juju. While these toys are not that old, most being made in the late 1990s, they have so much cuteness demand, some have been sold for as much as $4,000.
Pins
Designed to be a simple way to have some nostalgia or decorate one’s jacket, pins have been around for decades, and the simple round ones with a tin or aluminum plate are the most common. Rare ones date back to the beginning of the 20th century with commemorative versions reflecting the 1912 World Series or various cartoon characters. They aren’t cheap either. The 1912 one goes for $57,000 for collectors.
McDonald’s Happy Meal Toys
For generation X people who grew up with happy meals in their diet, the rinky dinky toys they included were pretty pathetic. However, once in a while there was a really good one that every kid wanted to get, driving their parents nuts to go to the fast-food restaurant again and again. Some of them are worth big bucks, well over thousands of dollars because the toy itself is so rare, especially if it is still in its original protective wrapper.
Google is making strides in the world of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly with a system that could revolutionize how doctors diagnose diseases. Imagine a world where your cough could be the key to an early diagnosis of illnesses like COVID-19 or tuberculosis. Google’s AI, known as Health Acoustic Representations (HeAR), is a step towards this future.
HeAR has been trained on millions of audio clips that capture a wide range of human sounds, including coughs. This massive collection of sounds is what sets HeAR apart. It allows the AI to learn and identify the unique characteristics of different respiratory diseases.
Traditionally, doctors diagnose diseases based on symptoms, tests, and sometimes, the sounds of a patient’s cough or breathing. However, this method can be subjective and limited by the doctor’s experience. Google’s AI system aims to make this process more objective and accurate by using machine learning. This means that the AI can improve its diagnostic abilities over time, learning from the vast array of sounds it has been trained on.
Dr. Yael Bensoussan, a laryngologist at the University of South Florida, points out that while supervised learning in medicine has its benefits, such as clinical validation, it’s often restricted by the availability of annotated data sets. HeAR’s approach overcomes this by learning from a vast and diverse set of sounds, not limited to annotated or labeled data.
In the near future, this AI could assist physicians in diagnosing diseases more quickly and accurately. It might even help in assessing lung function, providing a valuable tool in managing and treating respiratory illnesses.
The development of HeAR by Google represents an exciting advancement in the use of AI in medicine. It showcases the potential of machine learning to enhance diagnostic processes and improve patient outcomes, making it a fascinating development in the field of medical technology.
In Dallas, there’s a man named Ron Post who made a huge difference in the lives of millions of people needing health care. His journey began 45 years ago when he saw something on the news that changed his life.
Post and his wife were watching a report about Cambodian refugees fleeing to Thailand from the Khmer Rouge’s “Killing Fields,” where about 2 million people died due to starvation, overwork, and execution. One image struck him hard: the frail body of a teenage girl, which reminded him of his own daughter. This moment touched his heart deeply, and he felt a strong call to take action.
“I believe God put it in my heart that I was to raise up a medical team, and I was to help them,” Post said. And that’s exactly what he did. Although he was a Dallas-based business owner with no experience in medicine, Post’s determination was unstoppable. Within just two weeks, he managed to raise $250,000 and gathered a group of 28 volunteers. Together, they traveled to Thailand to offer their assistance at a refugee camp.
That act of kindness and determination was the start of something much bigger. The organization he founded, Medical Teams International, has grown significantly over the years. Today, it helps around 3 million refugees across eight different camps, providing them with the medical care they desperately need.
But Medical Teams International didn’t stop there. They expanded their services and now operate 13 mobile dental clinics, reaching about 25,000 people every year. These clinics travel to different locations, offering dental care to those who otherwise might not have access to it.
Ron Post’s story shows how one person’s compassion and drive can lead to extraordinary achievements. From his initial heartfelt response to a crisis far from home, he built an organization that continues to provide vital health services to millions of people. Medical Teams International stands as a testament to what can be achieved when someone decides to make a positive change in the world.
In Paradise, California, a community came together to find a much-loved cat named Dundee, who had survived the devastating 2018 Camp Fire. Dundee’s adventure began when his owner, Suise Heffernan, took him to the vet. After the appointment, she stopped to get pet food, locking her truck with Dundee inside. But when she returned, the truck and Dundee were gone.
Surveillance footage from a nearby store showed someone breaking into the vehicle and driving off with Dundee still inside. Heffernan was especially worried because Dundee has a thyroid condition and needed his medication.
The whole community of Paradise stepped up to help find Dundee. After four long days, their efforts paid off, and Dundee was found. Heffernan had adopted Dundee in 2018, just before the Camp Fire. She lost her home, a barn, and hundreds of acres of timber in the fire. Despite being displaced, Dundee transformed from a feral cat into a warm and cuddly companion.
One community member pleaded, “Just return the cat! Trucks can be replaced, and anyone living on the ridge has lost so much already.” Heffernan shared her agony over not knowing Dundee’s whereabouts, a feeling she knew all too well from losing another cat in the Camp Fire.
Heffernan and her friends, along with independent volunteers, continued their search. Finally, on Saturday, they received a call from someone who had Dundee. A group drove to Chico that evening, where Heffernan was reunited with Dundee, who started purring immediately.
Heffernan expressed her gratitude for the community’s support: “There’s something about the people – they just come together and they are there for you. I just can’t even imagine the hours that people that I’ll never meet put in on his behalf. It is so appreciated.”
This heartwarming story showcases the power of community and the unbreakable bond between humans and their pets.
In a remarkable display of veterinary ingenuity, a grasshopper at a Texas zoo was fitted with a miniature “neck brace” after experiencing a unique health issue. The grasshopper, a stick-like breed known as a Peruvian jumping stick, recently underwent a common process for insects: molting. At around six months old, these grasshoppers shed their exoskeleton, allowing for growth. However, this particular grasshopper faced a challenge after molting.
According to a recent zoo blog post, the grasshopper had a weakened area around part of its body resembling a “neck” due to a crease in its thoracic region. This crease caused its head to flop backward when climbing upwards, as these grasshoppers spend most of their time in tree branches.
To address this issue, zookeepers developed a miniature neck brace to temporarily support the insect’s neck in a neutral position while its exoskeleton hardened. The brace was created using a sterile Q-tip shaft and microspore tape to secure it. This innovative solution allowed the grasshopper to continue its normal activities without further injury.
The zoo emphasized the importance of providing exceptional care to all its animals, regardless of their size. “Whether it’s a mammal, reptile, bird, or even insect, all of our animals receive extraordinary care from our veterinary team, no matter how big or small it may be,” the zoo stated.
This story highlights the dedication of zookeepers and veterinarians to the well-being of all creatures in their care and showcases the creative approaches they take to ensure the health and safety of even the smallest residents.
In a story that sounds like it’s straight out of a movie, a dog named Ullr, who had been missing for almost a year, was finally spotted alive and well. Ullr, a mix of Border Collie and Rottweiler, had been living in the wild all by himself after surviving an avalanche. For Jacob Dalbey, Ullr’s owner, this news was the light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel.
Jacob Dalbey’s world turned upside down on March 17, when he was caught in an avalanche near Chair Mountain while skiing with friends. The terrifying incident left Jacob seriously injured and hospitalized, and tragically, one of his friends did not survive. Amidst the chaos, Ullr, who was with them, ran away from the avalanche site. Rescue teams later found dog tracks leading away from the debris, sparking hope that Ullr had survived.
For 341 days, Jacob never gave up hope of finding his beloved pet. He set up trail cameras and left food in various locations, hoping to lure Ullr into view. And then, on a day that seemed like any other, the unimaginable happened. Ullr was captured on a trail camera not once, but two days in a row. “After 341 days, 11 months to the day…it has happened,” Jacob shared on his GoFundMe page, a platform where he had been updating supporters and raising funds to aid in the search for Ullr.
The joy and relief in Jacob’s message were palpable as he thanked his friends and supporters for their unwavering belief and support. “Knowing you believe in us really means a lot,” he wrote, acknowledging the tough journey and the difference their support made.
Jacob’s next steps are focused on bringing Ullr safely back home. In the meantime, he has asked for the community’s help in keeping an eye out for any signs of Ullr, including pawprints, barking, or sightings.
Jacob’s harrowing experience during the avalanche, where he was buried under the snow for over three hours with a broken hand and frostbitten fingers, adds a layer of awe to Ullr’s survival story. Jacob’s determination to dig himself out and survive mirrored Ullr’s own fight for survival in the wild.