13 Kitchen Items in Your Cabinets That Could Be Worth Hundreds

Your vintage and retro kitchen items could be doing more than just taking up space in the cabinets. Without realizing it, you could be sitting on a small fortune, depending on the kitchen essentials you own.

Before you discard or donate your old blender or salt shakers, it's worth finding out just how much they're worth, considering you could get ahead financially by selling your kitchenware.

Here's a quick guide to 13 common kitchen items that can be worth serious money, and how to identify them.

Copper kitchenware remains popular today, but older items can be worth between $200 and $300, with rare pieces reaching up to $800. Cookware should be in excellent condition, with minimal scratches, for the best price.

Handmade, 19th-century pots with a maker's mark are likely to be worth most, with a tin lining indicating an older pot.

Rolling pins are highly collectible despite their simplicity, with genuine marble and glass items often selling for hundreds of dollars. Bristol Blue glass rolling pins with nautical themes may sell for $300, while Jadeite uranium glass variants are on eBay for $450.

Look for maker's marks or patent dates on the handles to help age your rolling pin.

Skillets last for centuries if cared for properly, so you could own one that's older than you realize. Look for embossed marks on the base of the skillet, such as "Griswold" or "Lodge." A perfectly flat base may indicate it was manufactured before the advent of electric heating rings.

Genuine antique cast iron skillets sell for between $100 and $1,300.

Some dinner sets, like Fiestaware from the 1930s and '40s, are now sought after by collectors. Antique experts state that some of these pieces are worth up to $1,000, with whole sets selling for as much as $10,000.

Rare colors like radioactive red and cobalt blue are worth more, and the handwritten-style marking on the base of an item will indicate its age.

Another popular copper kitchen item is the gelatin or dessert mold. These were very popular in the Victorian era, and you might discover that the molds at the back of your cupboard are older than you thought.

Check for maker's marks like Benham & Froud or Trottier, and tall, ornate patterns. Antique molds can be worth up to $600.

Depression glass, produced in the 1920s and '30s, comes in a range of colors and patterns. Although it was low-cost or free at the time, it's now highly collectible.

If you have glass plates, tumblers, or saucers with ballerinas, roses, or lacy hearts, each piece could be worth between $20 and $800.

Antique salt and pepper shakers are often very attractive and sought-after as quirky dinner table pieces. With the right manufacturer stamp on, they can also be worth more than you might think.

Reed & Barton sterling silver shakers sell for $500 on average, while Paul Evans shakers from the '60s sell for around $300.

If you're lucky enough to own a crystal glass or silver ice bucket, check for a hallmark or maker's mark. A mark like BACCARAT FRANCE could indicate an ice bucket worth anywhere between $50 and several thousand dollars.

Decorate etchings in the glass and gilded rims can also indicate value.

A nostalgic cookie jar could be worth more than the memories attached to it. Limited edition runs from names like Henry Cavanaugh or Holt Howard could be worth up to $1,000.

Look for unique designs, numbered markings indicating a limited run, or high-end materials like porcelain or metallic gilding.

Hamilton Beach is a brand that remains strong today, and their vintage blenders and hand mixers are also highly sought after.

Blenders from the 1950s and '60s should have embossed logos and serial numbers, and could be worth anything from $20 to $400, depending on the rarity of the appliance.

Tupperware, the food storage choice of millions, has been going strong since the 1940s. If you happen to have some containers that date from anywhere between then and the 1970s, you could be storing a nest egg.

Tupperware in rare colors like pastels and rainbow shades or styles such as "FlatOut!" or "Millionaire Line" may be worth up to $50 each.

Check for the branded Tupperware stamp on the base to ensure a piece is genuine.

Coffee and sugar canisters have been a kitchen mainstay for centuries, so there are many antique ones still hanging around modern kitchens.

Mid-century brushed or spun aluminum canisters are often very popular, with brands like Kromex selling for over $100 if you're fortunate enough to have a full set of four.

Pyrex has been popular since the early 20th century thanks to its shatterproof and heat-resistant design. If you have an old Pyrex bowl or casserole dish, check its pattern; some are highly sought-after.

Turquoise Diamonds and snowflake-adorned items can be worth up to $600, while the rare pink Gooseberry pattern fetches $500-$5,000 per item.

Before you clear out those cupboards and send everything to the thrift store, check online to see if you could be missing out on giving a boost to your bank account because you're accidentally hoarding a fortune.

Head to online marketplaces like eBay for recent sale prices, or visit your local antique shop to see what's already on offer and gain advice from a specialist.