IT IS often said that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

Many of us have thrown out items in the past which we have deemed worthless only to find out that years later they have become “cool” again and therefore collectable.

Think back to Pokemon cards, thousands of which were sold at boot sales for pennies, but some of which now command hundreds of pounds.

VHS videos, not long ago deemed practically worthless, are apparently now in demand in certain sectors, so much so that a shop owner drove the best part of 300 miles from Liverpool to pick up a collection in Mile Oak, as featured in today’s Argus.

Then there is a lesson to be learned from vinyl records, which have undergone a remarkable renaissance in popularity.

A decade ago, records, even by artists as celebrated as The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix could be bought for a pound or two. Not anymore.

In fact, record shops, selling both new and secondhand vinyl, are mostly thriving, as amply evidenced in Brighton.

Indeed, even cassettes are being sold once more and one wonders where it will all end.

Even the trusty iPod Classic, which millions of people across the globe used to listen to music on the move, is now considered a relic. Having said that, it now sells second hand for considerably more than when it was first marketed.

Therefore, it is important to consider carefully what you donate to a charity shop or throw out next time you clear out the loft.

“Retro cool” is back, we are told, so now seems the perfect opportunity to cash in.