121. Original Walkman
Manufacturer: Sony
Original Price: $150*
Value Today: $500*
The Sony Walkman was a classic. Released in 1979, the original Walkmans cost US$150 at the time. Currently, the originals are resold on auction sites for triple their value to fans of old technology. The portable cassette player was revolutionary in its time and practically everyone who grew up in the eighties and nineties remembers the Walkman fondly.
The TPS-L2 Walkman was the first low-cost personal cassette player. Japan was the first country to receive it (which makes sense considering Sony is a Japanese company). Sony predicted it would sell five thousand units per month. The company was pleasantly surprised when it sold 30,000 units per month in the first few months of the TPS-L2's launch.
