Pop music and merchandise have always gone well together. Limited edition tour t-shirts, priceless vinyl records, rare 45s, novelty lunch boxes – the list is endless.

We weren’t really going to start with a lot of money, were we?

In 2003, Iron Maiden embarked on their Dance of Death world tour to promote their album of the same name, their 13th album overall.

To accompany this, the British heavy metal band released a leather belt as part of the merchandise collection, complete with the metal band’s logo and mascot.

The band’s mascot, Eddie, has featured regularly in their concerts, album covers and merchandise since his first introduction in 1980.

MusicGoldMine is currently listing the belt for almost $100, the equivalent of £75, while Iron Maiden’s belt buckles go for over £80 on eBay.

Were you still a big fan of Iron Maiden in the early 2000s? Could you have purchased this belt, or had one purchased for you, at the time of Danse Macabre?

Metallica is currently in the middle of their M72 world tour, which is helping to promote their most recent album, 72 Seasons, due out in 2023.

Another heavy metal mainstay, 72 Seasons is Metallica’s 11th studio album and is named after the number of seasons you go through before turning 18.

During their concerts, the band – currently consisting of James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo – throws giant beach balls into the crowd.

Much to the dismay of Metallica concert-goers, some fans grab and deflate the beach balls almost immediately in order to sell them online.

In 1965, Beatlemania was at its peak. And it wasn’t just about the music: John Lennon, Sir Ringo Starr, Sir Paul McCartney and George Harrison were everywhere.

On TV, on the big screen, on billboards, posters and even, as it turns out, limited edition fancy tin lunch boxes, complete with a Thermos mug.

The Cranberries hit heights in the early 1990s thanks to hit songs such as Dreams, Linger and Zombie – their second album No Need to Argue went triple platinum in the UK.

Did you come across AC/DC during their For These About to Rock world tour in 1981/1982, which promoted their album of (almost) the same name?

For those of you reading this in the UK, are you seeing them in Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London or Dublin?

If so, you may have gotten your hands on the mother of all rock and roll jackets. The one listed was not available to fans but was intended for team members participating in the tour – meaning it could have been passed on.

Things may be different now, but in 2009, Katy Perry was on top of the pop world, with a string of major hits stemming from her major label debut album, One of the Boys.

I Kissed a Girl, Hot n Cold, Thinking of You and Waking Up in Vegas were omnipresent on TV and radio in 2008 and also dominated the charts in the UK and US.

Now a special signed version of One of the Boys – featuring Katy’s autograph which has been officially verified – is going for up to £300 on auction sites.

Meanwhile, other listings from the same album – also signed by Katy herself – cost more than £300, with photos of Katy signing it also providing proof.

So if you own the red and yellow vinyl version of 2009’s One of the Boys, and can get it signed by the Roar singer, you could be looking at a nice profit.

In the mid-1990s, Beatlemania experienced something of a revival. Two new Beatles songs (Free as a Bird and Real Love) were released worldwide, while the Beatles Anthology had just been released.

Amid the excitement, officially marked Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band watches were made in 1996 – many people own Apple Watches today, but this is an Apple Watch of a different kind.