Just like everything comes back into style, that old video game set you've had since 1989 might now be worth a significant amount of money.
Take, for instance, the California woman who dropped off her unwanted computer at a Silicon valley e-waste recycling firm in 2015 without knowing the bulky machine was worth thousands of dollars. The recycling firm CleanBayArea sold the woman's rare Apple 1 computer at auction for $200,000.
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Rather than going through the heartache of later finding out your junk was actually treasure, on-demand home services app Handy, recently asked Bonhams auction house to identify everyday tech items that are rare and valuable.
Here are four items picked by Adam Stackhouse, a senior specialist at Bonhams, that might be hiding in your basement or attic:
Lunar Globe, by Denoyer-Geppert:
A globe may seem like no big deal, but this is one you don't want to sell for $5 at a garage sale. The 200 first editions of the 16-inch Denoyer-Geppert Lunar Globe were produced to commemorate the Apollo 10 mission. A Denoyer-Geppert Lunar Globe sold for $4,250 at a Bonhams auction in 2015. Time period: 1969-1972.
Snow White PlayStation 2C. 2001:
Only 666 units of this all-white 'Snow White' version of the PlayStation 2 and its matching controller were made for each region. According to Bonhams, the game system is overlooked by some owners because it looks much like the standard white PS2. A Snow White PlayStation 2 was listed for $780 - $1180 at a 2016 auction by Catawiki. Time period: 2001
Apple II Computer:
Everyone's heard of Apple I, but Apple II computers are also a hot-ticket item you want to hold on to. The most valuable is the Rev 0 motherboard model, according to Stackhouse's picks. A 1977 Apple II sold for $6,100 at a 2011 auction on eBay. Time period: 1977-1981.
Zenith "Companion" Portable Radio (believed to be the first portable radio):
Only 1,000 Zenith "Companion" radios were manufactured. According to Stackhouse, 600 were returned. A 1924 Zenith "Companion" Portable radio sold for $12,000 at an auction on eBay in 2014. Time period: 1924.
You can see the full list of tech treasures here.
Follow Mary Bowerman on Twitter: @MaryBowerman
