Things You Can Sell During a Government Shut Down to Ease Financial Strain

Government shut downs can leave some people with fiancial strain and not able to earn a source of income for a period of time. There are items you may have within your own home that are actually worth a lot of money, even up to tens of thousands of dollars. Vintage toys and collectibles are among these that may actually be a goldmine without you even knowing. Selling vintage toys during a government shutdown can provide some immediate, independent income.

A lot of vintage toys and collectibles are incredibly high in value due to their condition, nostalgia, rarity, and demand among buyers. These vintage toys keep their value and are resilient during economic shifts. They can even hedge against inflation and quick turn arounds during personal or nationwide economic distress. Some people have toys they no longer want, see as “junk”, or just extra assets. Selling these items can help you out financially and give another collector the gems they have searched so long for. 

Join Us in Seeing Things to Sell During a Government Shut Down

Vintage toys and collectibles rise to upwards of tens of thousands of dollars. Even those items that are worth hudreds of dollars can help significantly when finances are tight and you don't have a regular source of income. Action figures, autographed items, movie posters, lunchboxes, and so much more are high in demand on the vintage market as many people wish to purchase these rare items as investments.

If you own any of these, selling them can give you more than a pretty penny. Follow along in our blog as we dive into some of these specific items to consider selling in order to earn some money to help you out financially during a government shut down.

1960-1990 Action Figures

So many action figures were released from the 1960s to the 1990s. Many of these over time have become incredibly valuable due to nostalgia, rarity, popularity, and condition. Many people get great nostalgia from vintage toys that they remember playing with when they were a kid. From this, the nostalgic factor brings up the value of items since the demand for them is so high.

Often, these vintage action figures are very rare from many of them getting damaged or lost over the years. Since toys in good condition rise to higher values, these rare items in mint condition will help exponeltially when a government shut down takes place.

Some vintage items that rise to high values today include G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, He-Man Masters of the Universe, and many more. Some lesser-known action figures also can actually rise to high values from the demand of buyers. These items become high in demand due to their rarity and unique styles since a lot of them were a part of short run toy lines.

1960s and 1970s Hot Wheels Redlines

Many Hot Wheels Redlines are also very valuable today, especially those in rare conditions or limited-time releases. Rare colored vehicles such as white, lavender, brown, and pink rise to higher prices along with prototypes that remain in good condition. These Hot Wheels that are valuable today are sought out by many toy collectors for their high values. Many people invest in vintage toys and some of these Hot Wheels sell for even thousands of dollars, making them worthy of investing in.

The Hot Wheels Redlines are the models from 1968 to 1977. These have a red line on the tires indicating they are from this era which helps to know that they are high in value. Limited production runs within this era of Hot Wheels often rise to higher prices.

One of these Hot Wheels Redlines that stands as a gold mine is the Pink Rear-Loading Beach Bomb prototype vehicle. This one rises to tens of thousands of dollars if in perfect condition. Along with this, the white 1968 Camero prototype and other Hot Wheels Redlines in original packaging rise to high values and are great for selling during a government shut down.

12 Cent Comics Prior to 1970

Other items you can sell during a governmnet shut down include comic books. These comics, especially prior to the year 1970 are now worth a lot of money. At the end of the 1960s, the price for comics increased to 15 cents making those that produced prior to this more rare. These comics used to cost 12 cents and many of them have not stood the test of time.

Along with this, many of these comics feature characters that originated during this time which makes them very desireable since they spark nostalgia and mark a time of history where characters continued to develop from these original comics.

The most popular comics from this time period were published by Marvel and DC while others released by Archie, Dell, Harvey, Hannah-Barbera, and more. The most valuable comics from this time period are those that remain in excellent collection or are the first-appearances for popular characters.

Autographed Items

No matter the year, autographed items are always high in value from the historical factor, demand, fame, rarity, and authenticity. If these items are in good condition, they rise to even higher prices. The historical factor makes a huge difference since some autographs at specific times can mark a time of significance for an actor's career or character's popularity.

Sometimes original movie posters with autographs are worth a lot of money before new casting of actors. These also might reach high values due to an actor passing away, making these autographs much more rare and higher in demand.

The fame of an individual plays a big impact, too, since these autographed items are more likely to rise to higher values if they are more well-known. Autographs on items also marks authenticity. If an autographed item includes some documentation proving the authentication of the autograph, it rises to higher values since it can be proven that it is by the actual person and isn't a fake copy.

Rough Riders Stompers

The Rough Riders Stompers toys released in the 1980s. These battery-powered four-wheel drive toy cars and trucks replicated real vehicles and drove through tough terrain, making them popular at the time of their release. LJN released these toys with popular television shows, giving children their favorite character's vehicles in a fun and creative way.

The original Stompers toy line by Schaper tranferred into the Rough Riders toy line by LJN and included so many different vehicles. Today, these 4x4 vehicles are sought out on the vintage toy market and can help you financially when deciding to sell them during a government shut down. Any rare individual Rough Riders Stompers or collection in good condition would be worth it to sell.

Pre-1990 Movie Posters

Movie posters mark a moment in time. They showcase a film that either sparked in great popularity and became an icon around the world or did not succeed and were left unrecognized. Since these posters before the 1990s are over 30 years old, many of them mark a nostalgic moment in time.

This includes a time when the actors were super popular or when the first film of a series came out. These original posters showcase a special moment for a lot of people, especially if the franchise grew to be super popular. Also, since these movie posters came out over 30 years ago, the actors are much older or even passed away. You won't be able to find movie posters quite like these anymore since they are vintage and rare.

Many movie posters are made of paper, making them easily damaged. Water damage completely destroys posters as they create stains, smearing of colors, and deterioration. Posters are also very easy to rip which makes them incredibly susceptible to damage. The posters left undamaged and from before 1990 are valuable to collectors today.

Movie Props

Often times, movie props are made with special materials by experts for the specific movie set and characters. Usually only a few of the same prop was made to last the duration of the filming process which makes those that were made and sold very popular. Even movie prop replicas sometimes rise to high values.

The original movie props mark a moment in time where the movie was made and the prop was used. Especially for fans of the movie and popularity of the franchise or actor, these props are so sought out by so many people yet very few of them are in existence which makes them super high in prices.

Pre-1995 Video Games

Game systems and video games today are not the same as they were before 1995. Those game systems that released in mass production such as NES, Atari 2600, and Saga Genesis no longer released after 1995, making these an iconic staple.

These games operate a certain way through specific game systems which leaves people nostalgic and wishing they could own and play the games again. The game images, sound effects, triggers, and themes all have a specific feel to them and cannot be found exactly the same across the board through every game system, even if it's the same game being played.

Today, games still with their original box and manual fetch for higher prices as well as any that include original promotional extras cost more today than simply just a cartridge or disc. Also, some of these cartridge based games feature special chips on them which makes them highly sought after today with their growing rarity. If you own any video games that released prior to 1995, selling them during a government shutdown might just give the edge you need to ease the financial strain.

Sealed Trading Card Packs, Boxes, and Cases

Sometimes these trading cards begin getting treated as assets and sell that way through the vintage market. From this, people increase the price of trading cards beyond normal demand, selling them online for people all around the world.

Also, social media videos and posts or a look into someone's collection makes many people interested in vintage items. They might see trading cards shown in a collection and remember playing with the specific or similar cards themselves.

Any sealed trading cards increase in value due to their condition and rarity of not being used yet. These mint cards, remaining in original boxes or with the original wrapper, rise to high prices and are very desired among buyers.

Pre-1990 Sealed VHS

Unlike other collectibles, these were not intended to just sit on a shelf at their release. These were meant to be opened and watched which means that so many of these VHS tapes were not left in sealed, unopened packaging. It is very rare to find.

When DVDs released in 1996 and reached all around the world creating the next replacer to VHS, it left those old VHS tapes not as desired and sitting around. However, now, decades later, these sealed VHS tapes become valuable and desired among buyers due to their rarity and nostalgia.

Sealed LEGO Sets

LEGO, the incredibly well-known building brick toy company, has been releasing toys since 1932. These incredibly popular building sets released as favorite movie scenes tied to franchises, popular characters, typical locations, buildings, and versatile pieces to connect together to create your own unique characters and designs.

Tens of thousands of these lego sets released, creating world wide popularity and an incredibly vast range of creativity as almost everyone can dive into the LEGO world and fnd a set they will enjoy. Since LEGO sets are incredibly popular and meant to be opened and played with, many pieces might go missing. Sets still in their sealed bags and boxes are also somewhat rare and highly desired by buyers since all the pieces are still in tact and the box is unopened.

Some retired sets are desired by buyers, especially if they're unopened, as they are no longer in production and still include all of their pieces. These sets, and those of popular franchises such as Star Wars or Harry Potter, sell for high prices and would be great to sell during a govenment shut down to ease financial strain.

Pre- 1990 Lunch Boxes

So many lunch boxes from before 1990 sell for incredibly high prices. Some sell for hundreds or even thousands of dollars. These lunch boxes mark an iconic moment in most people's childhoods as they get nostalgic from times where they would sit down at lunch with friends and open up their themed metal box to see what was packed for food that day.

Many of these lunch boxes were themed with favorite characters, movie scenes, and themes on them. Children would walk around with their themed lunch box and thermos that expressed something they loved. They got to see their favorite characters, talk to their friends about them, and see the other kids' lunch boxes with their favorite characters on them.

Many of these lunch boxes also marked a significant time in history as they featured images from a certain movie or time in actor's lives. They might have showed certain characters right before the cancellation of a series or showed certain characters right before the popularity of a certain franchise, making these lunch boxes in good condition very highly valued.

Final Thoughts

With the vintage market explosding today, many items get sold and purchased with people desiring to invest in them and grow their collections. When government shut downs take place, selling any of these mentioned above items will help to ease any financial strain. Simply look in your storage for any old items such as these as they may present to be a secret goldmine that you can sell and earn money back for. You may just have the very thing a collector or enthusiast is looking for and would be willing to pay a high price for.

Do You Have Old or Used Toys?

Don’t let your collection sit in storage gathering dust—turn it into cash! At Wheeljack’s Lab, we specialize in evaluating and buying vintage and used toys, from single standouts to entire collections.

Our friendly, expert team has decades of hands-on experience in collectible toys, so you can expect honest evaluations and a smooth process from start to finish. Ready to sell? Call us at 888-946-2895 and let’s get started.

About the Owner, Chris Ingledue

Chris is the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab Pop Culture and Toy Shop. His vision has always been to reconnect collectors with the toys and pop culture that shaped their childhoods—sparking memories, nostalgia, and imagination along the way.

Each day in the “Lab” feels like Christmas year-round. From scouring the internet for the next great treasure—much like flipping through the Sears Catalog of years past—to eagerly awaiting the postman’s arrival like Santa himself, Chris lives and breathes the thrill of the hunt. Helping collectors around the world experience their own version of Christmas is what makes being a vintage toy buyer an absolute joy.