What's Trending at Estate Sales in 2025 — and How to Price It

Estate sales are one of the best places to source trending resale inventory — if you know what categories are hot right now. The resale market shifts faster than most people realize, and items that sat ignored five years ago can now command serious money. Here are the categories moving fastest in 2025 and how to price them confidently.

Vintage Hand Tools

Woodworking hand tools have become one of the most reliably profitable estate sale categories. Vintage Stanley bench planes (No. 4, No. 5, and No. 7), Disston hand saws, and brace-and-bit drill sets are being snapped up by craftsmen who prefer older American-made steel over modern imports.

What to look for: the Stanley logo and patent dates cast into the body (pre-1960s), intact rosewood or beech handles without cracks, and totes that aren't repaired with glue. Blades should show no pitting — surface rust cleans up, deep pitting does not.

• Stanley No. 4 smoothing plane (good condition): $35–$85
• Stanley No. 7 jointer plane: $65–$150
• Disston D-8 crosscut saw (full length, sharp): $30–$80
• Brace and bit sets in original roll: $25–$60
• Full tool chests (mixed condition): $150–$600+

Don't overlook marking gauges, spoke shaves, and drawknives — smaller tools that buyers often bundle together when building a shop kit.

Cast Iron Cookware

Vintage cast iron has been hot for years and shows no sign of cooling. Griswold and Wagner pieces from the early-to-mid 20th century carry the biggest premiums, but pre-2000 Lodge and unmarked farmhouse pieces sell steadily too.

Check the bottom for maker's marks — Griswold's large block logo (pre-1940) is the most valuable, followed by the small logo era. Wagner pieces marked “Sidney, O.” or “Wagner Ware” are desirable. Avoid pieces with cracks (run your finger along the bottom and around the rim), warped bottoms that rock on a flat surface, or repairs visible as darker patches in the metal.

• Unmarked or Lodge skillet (8–10 inch): $15–$40
• Wagner Ware skillet: $35–$90
• Griswold small logo skillet: $60–$180
• Griswold large block logo (No. 8 or 9): $100–$300+
• Dutch ovens with matching lids: 1.5–2x skillet value

Mid-Century Modern Furniture

Mid-century modern remains one of the strongest furniture categories in resale. The style runs roughly 1945–1975 and is characterized by tapered legs, clean lines, walnut or teak veneer, and minimal ornamentation. Buyers are looking for it in antique malls, on Facebook Marketplace, and through estate sale companies.

Makers that carry premiums: Drexel, Broyhill Brasilia, Lane Acclaim, Heywood-Wakefield, Herman Miller, and Knoll. Look for maker's marks on drawer bottoms or inside cabinet doors. Unmarked pieces in the style still sell if the construction is solid and the veneer is intact.

• Unmarked MCM side table or nightstand: $40–$150
• Lane Acclaim end table: $80–$200
• Broyhill Brasilia dresser: $200–$500
• Herman Miller or Knoll chair: $300–$1,200+
• Credenza or sideboard (any good maker): $250–$800

Retro Gaming

Nintendo 64, Super Nintendo, original Game Boy, and early PlayStation hardware and cartridges have become consistent sellers. Complete-in-box items sell for multiples of loose cartridges, and condition is everything — yellowed or cracked plastic drops value significantly.

Always test electronics before buying or pricing. N64 and SNES carts can be cleaned and tested with a console on-site if you carry one. Check the cartridge pins for corrosion. Popular games (Zelda, Mario, GoldenEye) command 2–5x the price of common sports titles.

• N64 console (loose, no cords): $40–$70
• N64 with cords and controller: $60–$110
• Common N64 cartridge: $5–$25
• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (cartridge): $30–$65
• SNES console with games lot: $80–$200 depending on titles

Cottagecore and Vintage Farmhouse Linens

Embroidered tablecloths, crocheted doilies, vintage aprons, flour sack dish towels, and Depression-era feedsack fabric are selling well to buyers decorating in the cottagecore and farmhouse aesthetic. This category is cheap to acquire at estate sales where linens are bundled in boxes.

• Plain vintage tablecloth (good condition): $8–$25
• Hand-embroidered tablecloth or dresser scarf: $15–$60
• Vintage apron (printed cotton): $10–$30
• Feedsack fabric (intact, good print): $8–$35 per piece
• Full linen sets with napkins: $40–$120

Pricing With Confidence When You're Unsure

These ranges give you a starting point, but prices shift based on your region, your venue, and your buyers. A vintage hand plane that sells for $85 at an antique mall in Vermont may sit for weeks priced at $65 at a rural auction house in Arkansas.

That's why pricing by feel or by a single eBay search often leaves money on the table. PocketPrice snaps a photo, identifies the maker and model, and returns a price recommendation calibrated to your specific selling context — your venue type, your region, and how your buyers shop. It also flags items worth pulling for auction or online sale rather than leaving on an estate sale table where buyers expect a deal.

The next time you're unsure whether something is worth $20 or $120, snap a photo and find out in seconds.