10 Military and War Memorabilia Items That Are Worth a Small Fortune

Sometimes you can turn a passion into a good way to make extra money on the side. If you're a history buff, particularly with an interest in the military and wars, you may be able to find family memorabilia around your house or in storage that's worth a small fortune.

Here's a look at 10 military and war memorabilia items that combine history and intrigue.

US Army field uniforms are a piece of D-Day memorabilia that could be worth a sweet sum. The ensemble includes an M1 helmet, M41 jacket, canteen, M4 bayonet and full field gear. They were worn by the 3rd U.S. Army troops storming Normandy amid German gunfire.

One set recently sold for $3,400 along with period photos showing identical kits on soldiers coming ashore.

Another piece of potentially valuable D-Day memorabilia are medic helmets worn during the D-Day landings and Point du Hoc attacks. It's noted that the bright color was used to signal enemy troops not to shoot the unarmed medics.

A dinged up version of the helmet sold at auction in 2015 for $2,250.

If you have this technology from D-Day, you might be able to sell it for a small fortune. These radios were used to relay messages between shore and ships. They're known for their engineering aspects and the role they played in saving lives.

Fully restored units have sold for as much as $4,000.

Another wartime token that may prove to be worth reselling are World War I-era dark denim work pants issued to the U.S. Navy sailors who were performing cleaning and maintenance duties on the ship.

One such pair recently sold on eBay for over a whopping $13,000. These are considered rare to come by, so keep your eyes peeled.

Even if you're not a big history buff, this is a cool piece of memorabilia. One such pennant recently sold on eBay for approximately $3,800. It was listed as a USS ward commissioning pennant U.S. Navy destroyer from World War I, World War II and Pearl Harbor.

You can find other similar pennants on eBay and other places, so it might be worth seeing if you have one among your family's military memorabilia items.

World War I-era splatter masks were made to protect tank crew from shrapnel. These masks had two steel curved plates with a nose section of leather and chainmail to protect the mouth. The mask also had horizontal eye slits in the steel and cotton ties to secure it around the head.

One of these masks recently sold on eBay for $3,500.

Images from times of war can be extremely valuable decades later. Two 1945 Associated Press photos depicting marines associated with the events at Iwo Jima in good condition sold for $6,000 on eBay.

As you're going through your own collection of memorabilia, keep an eye out for older photos— especially original ones.

The bomb sight, a tool used to calculate and guide bombing missions for strategic targets, is an original piece of militaria from the United States, specifically used during World War II.

Often listed as a "Norden Bomb Sight M9", one recently sold on eBay for over $5,000.

Groups of military patches can be popular sellers. A lot of 96 original World War II patches sold for nearly $4,000 on eBay. The patches bore designs from various military units such as Airborne, the 45th Infantry and the Rangers.

This lot likely brought in so much money because of the number of patches and their variety.

Parachute packs from the Korean War often sell for good money on online auction sites like eBay. For instance, a vintage Korean War era parachute pack in good to fair condition, with a date from either 1953 or 1959, sold for $1,200 a few months ago on eBay.

Inflation and tough times for stocks may have you looking to find a side hustle. If you have some military and war memorabilia in your home or in storage, you may be able to sell those items for a small fortune.

While many people turn to a place like eBay to sell these items, it may benefit you more to look into a brick and mortar business nearby where you could take in your items to see what they're worth to collectors.