Common Items Most People Don’t Know Are Valuable

3. Weathervanes

A weathervane is one of those metal ornaments that go on top of barns and houses. They would move in the direction of where the wind was blowing. Since we can just look up the weather on our phones nowadays, they aren’t exactly popular anymore. However, rare, ornate vintage weathervanes still go for thousands of dollars. One Native American weathervane even sold for nearly 6 million dollars at auction. Many old weather vanes are incredibly decorative and feature chickens, archery, birds of prey, and more often in bronze or copper. Many people who own homesteads like to decorate an outbuilding with a vintage weathervane.

Much like with millstones, check any old farm properties that you legally have access to. See if any of the old outbuildings or barns have a vintage weathervane. Farm auctions and rural rummage sales are also great opportunities to find old weathervanes. They’re far more common in the country than in the city. You’ll have to pay a premium in a city antique shop since they’re less common. In turn, it will be prized by urban collectors. Fallen or blown off weathervanes could be a potential target for the intrepid metal detector around barns and outbuildings as well.