Classic cars and old coins can be worth a fortune, but the likes of Pokémon cards and digital art are among the modern-day items fast rising in value. Click or scroll through to discover some items you might want to be buying now and storing away for the future.

You might think of Pokémon as something for kids, but trading cards based on the hugely popular Japanese video game could be worth big bucks. The value of original sets from the late 90s has steadily grown for over five years now, and lockdowns have spurred even greater interest in collecting them. Just last year, rapper Logic bought a first-edition Charizard card for a whopping $183,000 (£132.5k). And US retail giant Target stopped selling both Pokémon and sports trading cards after a fight broke out over sport cards outside a store in Wisconsin.

With a customer base aged between 24 and 36 with disposable income to spend, Pokémon cards aren’t going out of fashion anytime soon and the rarer cards are set to keep rising in value. First-edition base sets are super pricey, with a sealed box selling for $198,000 (£144k) at an auction in 2020. Not bad for a kid’s game.

Funko Pop figures are plastic toys measuring just shy of four inches (10cm) and can cost as little as $8 (£5.80). Don’t be deceived by their little size though because they can sell for big money.

Collectors are particularly interested in Chase Pops, which are limited editions of normal characters with a slight change in looks, like a different hair colour. For instance, the glow-in-the-dark Clockwork Orange Chase Pop is worth a hefty $13,300 (£9.7k) as it was released in such limited numbers.

With the popularity of online streaming platforms like Spotify, vinyl records may seem a thing of the past. However, there's a growing market of young record enthusiasts who prefer physical copies of their favourite tunes, with their warmer sound, and record companies are catering to this new band of collectors with an array of limited- and special-edition pressings. 

Record Store Day, where limited releases are sold through independent record stores, has become a big annual global event. And major artists such as Radiohead have released limited deluxe editions of their recent albums, which have sold out, and could become valuable in future, although you may want to think twice about playing the records too much...

Designer handbags are a great collectable for those with an eye for fashion. An Art Market Research (AMR) report says some bags have better investment potential than fine art and vintage cars. The Hermès matt white Niloticus Crocodile Himalaya Birkin 30 sold at Christie’s for an impressive $384,285 (£279k) in 2017, making it the priciest bag sold at the British auction house.

According to the AMR report, 3,500 designer handbags were auctioned in 2019, totalling $32.9 million (£26.4m) in sales. While the 10 most expensive Hermès bags sold were crocodile-skin Birkins, the brand’s Kelly’s bags have increased 129% in value over the last 10 years and are ones to watch. Other classic brands include Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

While LEGO might be seen as a children's toy, plenty of adults are big fans too, and limited-edition sets sell for big money. First-edition Star Wars Millennium Falcon sets have sold for between $3,400 (£2.5k) and $5,700 (£4.1k), with prices also inflating thanks to the reboot of the movie franchise.

LEGO sets are something of a risky business. The first-edition Taj Mahal set once sold at a high of $3,865 (£2.8k). When the model was re-released a few years ago, its value dropped to $450 (£330). However, demand for rare and detailed LEGO sets is still alive and well. Popular sets to look out for include the Disney Castle and Trafalgar Square.

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are digital stamps of ownership of virtual goods such as digital art. While digital art is easy to copy, NFTs show that their buyers own the original works. Twitter founder Jack Dorsey sold an NFT of the first tweet for a whopping $2.9 million (£2.1m) back in March.

NFTs may enter the mainstream as life becomes more digital; buying tweets and posts from celebrities could be as common as buying autographed merch. People have spent a total of $174 million (£123m) on NFTs since November 2017. Art broker Sotheby’s recently auctioned an NFT of Derrick Adams’ custom artwork Heir to the Throne, inspired by the 25th anniversary of rapper Jay-Z’s album Reasonable Doubt. The NFT was sold to the highest bidder at  $139,000 (£100k).

BE@RBRICKs are collectables produced by the Japanese company Medicom Toy. The bear-shaped toys come in a range of designs and have an iconic status within pop culture, even making an appearance in rapper Drake’s music video for Tootsie Slide. A Karl Lagerfeld-designed Chanel BE@RBRICK, part of a limited edition of 1,000, sold for $30,000 (£21.7k) at a Christie's auction in 2019.

Most BE@RBRICKs retail from anywhere between a couple hundred of dollars to the $650 (£470) mark. Designs are inspired by everything from popular movie characters to fine art. The BE@RBRICK x Readymade x A Bathing Ape 1000% Multi first retailed at $2,480 (£1.8k) in 2018 but is now selling for around £11,575 (£8.4k) on online marketplace StockX.

Fans go to great lengths to get an autograph from their favourite idol, and they can be worth big bucks. Autographed trading cards are all the rage now. A 2006-2007 Topps Chrome card signed by rapper Jay-Z sold for a massive $105,780 (£76.5k) back in March, breaking records for the priciest non-sports card. And a Panini Rookie card of Justin Bieber signed by the singer was sold for $2,500 (£1.8k) back in May.

Autographed books are another potential goldmine. A first US edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone signed by JK Rowling was auctioned for $2,280 (£1.6k) in 2014.

Gone are the days when graffiti was a public nuisance. With the rise of artists such as Banksy, graffiti has become a respected creative medium with ever-increasing price tags. Banksy’s Game Changer, a tribute to the UK's NHS public healthcare workers, sold for around $23 million (£16.7m) at auction back in March. The money was donated to healthcare charities helping the NHS.

Art values increased by 10% from 2018 to 2019, according to the Knight Frank luxury investment index, and between 2009 and 2019 they grew by a massive 146%. Demand for graffiti art continues to rise as investors and collectors see potential for strong future returns. Ben Slow, Bambi, Robin Rhode, and Plastic Jesus are some other artists to look out for.

It’s not just shiny new Rolexes that sell for thousands. So-called birth year watches – watches made the same year someone was born – are increasing in value as more and more people snap up a unique souvenir. So much so that there’s a whole website for buying and selling them. The watches tend to be quite pricey as some of them have been discontinued. For instance, a 2000 Franck Muller Master Banker is on the market for around $6,910 (£5k).

Birth year watches are traditionally picked according to serial number. The 2004 Lange & Sohne Double Split and the 2009 Breitling Chronomat B01 are especially pricey pieces. The former is listed for between $85,305 (£61.7k) and $131,855 (£95.4k) on online marketplace chrono24.

It's not just Pokémon cards that can fetch enormous sums. In September 2021, Oreo launched a line of limited-edition Pokémon cookies – and while a standard pack of Oreos will set you back just a few dollars, some of the newly released treats are selling for thousands online.

The cookies, which were launched to celebrate Pokémon's 25th anniversary, each feature a different character. There are 16 characters available and just like the classic Pokémon cards, some are rarer than others. The rarest of all is the mythical Pokémon Mew. Collectors have already taken to eBay to make sure they 'catch em all', with some individual Mew cookies being listed for a staggering $10,000 (£7.3k).