Think your old Juicy tracksuit and ancient iPod are just worthless junk? Think again. Y2K is trending big-time, driven by Gen X and Millennials hankering after their youth, along with Gen Z jumping on the bandwagon. From Paris Hilton and Missy Elliott-approved fashion to retro noughties gadgets, aughts-era icons are now selling for serious cash.
Read on for 20 of the most coveted noughties collectibles and check if you're sitting on something valuable. All dollar amounts in US dollars.
Long before TikTok dance challenges, Konami's Dance Dance Revolution had teenagers jumping around and busting moves on plastic light-up mats to fast-paced beats. In 2005, Nintendo gave it a surreal twist with Mario Mix, a GameCube oddity featuring remixed Mushroom Kingdom tracks, chaotic visuals, and a branded dance pad.
Now a Y2K cult classic, the zany title fetches around $100 (£75), with factory-sealed specimens selling for upwards of $400 (£300).
The 'Kate effect' is real. When the Princess of Wales wears something, it tends to sell out almost instantly. This obsession even extends to her budget noughties pre-royal wardrobe, with identical high-street pieces she wore back then selling for impressive amounts.
Earlier this year, a copy of the infamous Bay Trading sequin top the future princess sported at a charity roller disco in London back in 2008, which reportedly left Buckingham Palace “appalled”, was listed on eBay for $108 (£82). And in July, a cheap and cheerful brown H&M blazer from 2003, identical to one she wore in her uni days, sold for $630 (£475).
Prized vinyl rarities from the Y2K era sell for enormous sums. But even common pressings of super-popular albums can be worth a decent amount. Take Norah Jones' Come Away With Me. A critical and commercial smash, the 2002 record sold nearly 30 million copies and won numerous Grammy Awards.
Vinyl copies of the album are far from scarce, but they're surprisingly valuable nonetheless. If you have one in excellent condition, it's worth around $125 (£94) based on recent online sales.
The Tamagotchi craze swept the playgrounds of the world during the late 1990s, and the Japanese virtual pets had become a staple of birthday and Christmas wishlists by the mid 2000s. Kids couldn’t get enough of the digital creatures, despite their need for constant care and attention.
Released in 2006, the Connection V3 range is much sought-after by collectors these days. Originally retailing for the equivalent of just $24 (£18), the rarest V3 pets now sell for thousands, while the most desirable mass-market models can sell for around $150 (£113).
Bratz dolls ruled the Y2K era. Launched in 2001 by a former employee of Mattel, the company behind Barbie, the racially diverse, fashion-focused dolls swiftly became her biggest rivals. Their influence extended beyond the toy aisle, spawning everything from makeup kits to a landline phone shaped like their pouty lips. Here's Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes plugging one at the 2003 Teen Choice Awards.
Today, this playful piece of noughties nostalgia sells for $150 (£113).
The first edition of the debut Harry Potter book had a print run of just 500 and copies are immensely valuable, with one fetching a record $471,000 (£345,000) at a Heritage Auctions sale in 2021. Subsequent early print runs were dramatically larger as the JK Rowling books exploded in popularity, but even copies from these are worth surprising sums.
By way of example, the US first edition of 2000’s Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire had a staggering initial print run of one million. Despite this widespread availability, a copy recently went for $185 (£139) on eBay. Signed specimens are worth considerably more, with prices reaching into the four figures, according to MuggleNet. A handful have even sold for more than $10,000 (£7,500).
Back to Bratz. The early dolls are bona fide collector's items these days, with rarities such as the Bratz Play Sportz Teamz dolls easily fetching four figures. In terms of Bratz you may actually own, dolls from the Funk 'N' Glow range are among the most valuable.
A first-edition Funk 'N' Glow Sasha and 2002 Fall Limited Edition have been listed on eBay for $244 (£184) and $185 (£139) respectively, with dolls from the range typically fetching up to around $200 (£150).
Hasbro began releasing Monopoly Collector’s Editions in the late 1990s, reimagining the classic board game with pop culture themes. One of the most in-demand is the 1999 Monopoly: Pokémon Collector’s Edition, which launched at the peak of the first wave of Pokémania.
In July, a used copy in good condition sold on eBay for just over $200 (£150), proving this Y2K-era mash-up has impressive staying power with fans and collectors.
Furby launched in 1998 and ended up topping the sales charts to become the must-have toy of the year. An innovative novelty, the weird furry robot wiggled its ears, spoke its own nonsense language, and 'learned' English. As the craze waned, a series of variants were released, including Shelby in 2001.
A 'Furby Friend', Shelby was squashed into a clam shell and programmed to have a sassier personality. Just two generations and 12 colours were produced before the variant was discontinued in 2002. Today, a working loose Shelby can sell for up to $200 (£150), while boxed, sealed specimens go for considerably more.
If you've held onto magazines from the Y2K era, you could be in the money, with niche style titles among the most valuable. Required reading for the hipsters of the time, London-based Dazed & Confused magazine was riding high in January 2001 when it featured the very first interview with Gorillaz, not to mention bespoke cover art by the band's visual co-creator Jamie Hewlett.
This particular issue has since become a revered collector's item, selling for around $265 (£200).
Von Dutch is one of the quintessential Y2K fashion brands and its trucker hats were streetwear go-tos, donned by everyone from trend-conscious teenagers to hip-hop stars like Missy Elliott.
With Y2K style back with a vengeance, Von Dutch is enjoying a major revival and Gen Z fashionistas are paying big bucks for original trucker hats. A rare version sold recently for $350 (£263), and the more run-of-the-mill designs now go for around $100 (£75).
Popularised by Y2K fame queen Paris Hilton, velour Juicy Couture tracksuits, ideally in bubblegum pink, are as synonymous with the era as Von Dutch trucker hats. And like the hats, these fashion statements are trending again, courtesy of the Y2K revival.
With Gen Z embracing the look and older generations eager to relive their youth, some vintage Juicy tracksuits are now selling for up to $350 (£263).
In 2001, Disney launched Walt Disney Treasures, a series of beautifully packaged DVD sets aimed at collectors. The series was discontinued in 2009, so the sets are in relatively short supply and treasured by dedicated Disney buffs.
A copy of one of the most in-demand sets, The Chronological Donald (Duck) Volume 4, sold on eBay earlier this year for $425 (£320).
Football shirts from the Y2K era are now collector's pieces, so veteran fans of the beautiful game might want to have a rummage.
Take the Umbro Manchester United 1999/00 away shirt. The long-sleeved top, which in keeping with the styles of the time looks more like a rugby shirt to someone in 2025, fetches remarkably high prices nowadays. One rather worn version sold recently for $600 (£450), while an example in better condition has been listed on eBay for $999.99 (£753).
Launched in 2001, the iPod classic changed the way we listened to music and became a Y2K design icon.
Used working models in good condition typically fetch up to $500 (£377), but one sold recently for $760 (£572) on eBay. For serious collectors, factory-sealed editions are the ultimate prize, with some fetching jaw-dropping prices of up to $29,000 (£21,900). If you have one stashed away somewhere, it might be worth digging it out.
An early noughties precursor to the modern smartphone, the T-Mobile Sidekick has been described as the most stylish and innovative mobile of all time, not to mention the coolest. De rigueur among the hip crowd, the Sidekick and its successors were adopted by the era's movers and shakers, from socialites and rappers to reality TV stars.
A 2004 Sidekick II fetched $475 (£367) on eBay in February, but the pink Juicy Couture variant, which is so Y2K it hurts, has sold for around $1,000 (£753).
Over The Top in every sense, these bold head-hugging Oakley frames became instant icons when Trinidadian sprinter Ato Boldon debuted them at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
If you were brave enough to sport the futuristic Matrix-style shades and cough up the original retail price of $180, around $335 (£252) today, you’ll no doubt be delighted to discover your sunglasses are now worth up to $3,000 (£2,260).
Nintendo released a number of variants of the Game Boy Color during the Y2K era, including the Zelda Oracle of Ages & Seasons set. A European exclusive, it was released as a limited edition in 2001.
A holy grail item, a copy sold on eBay for an incredible $3,620 (£2,725) back in April.
LEGO sets from the noughties can be exceedingly valuable, particularly the rarer releases. As per BrickEconomy, the most lucrative set of the decade is Star Wars Cloud City 10123. Released in 2003 as a limited edition, it was exclusively available in LEGO stores, hence its high value.
A used version is worth around $3,680 (£2,770), with a sealed specimen commanding more than double that figure.
Launched in 1999, the Yu-Gi-Oh! trading card game became a global sensation, with Blue-Eyes White Dragon standing out as one of its most feared and famous monsters. Boasting 3,000 attack points and a starring role in the original anime, it was the card every kid wanted. And it's the one collectors chase today.
Early prints in good condition now sell for up to $8,000 (£6,000), while mint first-edition versions can reach $12,000 (£9,000). Amazingly, the rarest variant fetched over $85,000 ($64,000) at a Gem Mint sale in 2020.
Now discover the 1990s and noughties vinyl records worth much more today