Book shelves and record collections can often hide some real gems. A recent survey by Prudential in Britain found that 96 per cent of homeowners had no idea what their record, CD or book collections were worth. Mr Ian Baker, from the Music and Video Exchange in London, says: "Recently a customer asked us to value his collection of about 100 old records. To sell them second-hand he would only have got around £3 for the whole lot, had it not included a limited edition LP which was worth £500 alone."

Similarly, the old book that is propping up your coffee table could end up supporting you financially. First edition books can fetch high prices, even if they are written by modern authors. But if you have a first edition of a "classic" book, this could be worth thousands - experts put the price tag on a first edition copy of Alice in Wonderland at more than £200,000 sterling (£222,000).