The Disney-Themed Kitchen Item You Shouldn't Ignore At Thrift Shops & Garage Sales

It seems like since the dawn of the Walt Disney company (which happened over 100 years ago, in 1923), it has been churning out drool-worthy merchandise to help market its huge entertainment enterprise. There is so much merchandise with your favorite characters on them, you might glaze over the mountain of Disney items at thrift stores and garage sales. But there's one kitchen item that you should give a second glance: Disney-themed mugs can be highly valuable. 

The art of thrift and antique shopping can be lucrative, with plenty of simple DIY thrift flip ideas you can do in a weekend. People are even starting to make significant income selling thrifted items online. But it's useful to narrow your focus so you aren't spending hours looking up the value of every item you see. Some of the most valuable items you can seek out at a thrift store include antique and vintage books, home decor, and (of course) collectibles. So it's no surprise that collectible Disney mugs, which are often vintage and nostalgic, can provide a lot of bang for your buck. 

Narrowing the search down to just Disney mugs is already a great way to save yourself time, but if you want to find the most valuable items to either resell or keep for yourself, there are a few specific parameters. For one, always keep an eye peeled for "special edition" releases. That can include mugs created for big Disney events like park openings (Disney World opened in 1971 and Disney Land opened in 1955, for example), major anniversaries, and other big celebrations. Mugs from the 1970s and '80s have also become increasingly popular, especially when they depict specific single characters or popular rides. 

While most mugs aren't highly valuable, one particularly high-selling mug online right now is a jadeite Mickey Mouse vintage Fire-King mug, which is priced at over $1,000 on eBay. A 40th anniversary Tiki Room mug, signed by the designer, is also listed for over $1,000 on eBay (it's always a good idea to filter for sold items to see what they're actually moving for). You can try to authenticate your latest thrift store finds by doing a Google image search for the original mugs, or looking for the familiar Disney logo and descriptors on the bottom of the mug or inside the lip. If you're looking to style a Disney mug collection for yourself, consider displaying your adorable mugs in creative ways, such as mug trees or racks. Your kitchen or dining room will receive a pop of vintage decor that's sure to get plenty of compliments from guests.