Big cities provide countless hidden treasure waiting to be discovered—from ancient architectural artifacts such as tin ceiling tiles, iron gates and fireplace mantels to valuable jewelry and vintage coins, as well as hundreds of other highly sought-after collectibles.

“Treasure hunting can often turn up the most interesting and memorable items that can either be resold or repurposed for your personal use,” according to Jim DiGiacoma, from New York City’s Olde Good Things, the nation’s leading architectural salvage operation.

Olde Good Things treasure hunts and upcycles from the most prestigious New York historic hotels, Broadway theaters and prominent commercial buildings to industrial warehouses and vintage shops in order to create a most unique retail experience for the consumer, notes DiGiacoma.

You never know where you might find lost, hidden treasures. Real life examples range from precious metals found in a storage unit, to the world’s largest star sapphire, and a Civil War Colt army pistol, to an original copy of the Declaration of Independence, found at a flea market.

Salvage shops such as Olde Good Things offer a wide variety of decorative accessories.

Here are some treasure hunting tips from Olde Good Things:

1. Visit an architectural salvage shop.
2. Frequent your local weekend flea market or swap meet for local finds.
3. Check out the antique stores.
4. Go beachcombing. You never know what gadgets or jewelry you might find at the end of the day.
5. Go dumpster diving or patrol the sidewalks on trash day. You can find nice old sofas, valuable lamps, even floor tiles or kitchen cabinets.
6. Search your own home or that of your relatives. Tucked up in that attic crawlspace could be an old chest whose contents contain old posters, a baseball card collection or valuable paintings.
7. Explore a thrift store such as Goodwill or the Salvation Army for old picture frames, books, and kitchen utensils.
8. Join a modern-day treasure hunt such as the Fenn Treasure, a $2 million stash of gold coins and jewelry hidden somewhere in New Mexico by a wealthy eccentric.
9. Invest in an unclaimed storage unit that comes up for sale.
10. Prospect yard sales. Looking for valuable finds at yard sales has all the hallmarks of a true treasure hunt.

A huge assortment of antique brass door fixtures from Olde Good Things

Olde Good Things is the nation’s leading architectural salvage operation with four stores in New York City, one in Los Angeles and two in Scranton, PA, as well as a major online presence. For additional location information, click here.