The surprising living room accessory worth more than $13,000, and it’s right under your nose

What's's the most expensive thing in your living room? (Photo: Getty)

Walk into someone’s living room and it’s evident for all to see that their pride and glory is the gleaming flat-screen TV.

Or perhaps they have a shiny cabinet showing off their treasured heirlooms or sentimental antiques.

But one surprising item that some Aussies have rated as one of their most treasured – and most expensive – household possessions are not what you’d expect: pot plants.

According to research from ING, pot plants are rated the second most-valuable treasured household possession with an average value of $13,189 per household.

It trails only artwork, which is only slightly ahead and valued at $13,787 per household.

Australians rated watches and jewellery as the third most-valued household possession at $8,787, followed by designer goods and clothing and special collectables or antiques, valued at just under $8,000.

The breakdown

Out of 1,010 Australians sampled for the research, 400 households rated pot plants among one of the top three most valuable items in their home.

When asked to estimate the value of their pot plants, 16 per cent – or 64 Australians – said more than $50,000, an ING spokesperson told Yahoo Finance.

While it’s not indicative of the average value of pot plants, it certainly raises eyebrows that so many people could value pot plants so highly.

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The upside

If you’re among the Aussies who prize their pot plants, there’s good news: you can actually get your leafy treasure insured.

“When you’re trying to estimate the value of your home and contents most of us probably think about the costs of rebuilding and the value of our big ticket items like furniture, electronics and jewellery,” said ING head of insurance Cathy Duncan.

But according to ING’s research, the most-stolen household items are VHS or DVD collections.

Musical instruments are rated the second item that most Aussies have had stolen from their home, followed by stamp collections and then vinyl collections or vintage and early edition items.

But you don’t have to limit your insurance coverage to the typical items. Insurance policies can be tailored to you to protect your treasured possessions, Duncan said.

So if a thief ever sneaks in in the dead of the night and manages to get away with your heavy pot plant, you can breathe easy.

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