"Originally published in the United Kingdom as Collectable technology in 2005"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 158) and index.

The latest trend on E-Bay and at flea markets is the buying and selling of old technology―transistor radios, video games, the Betamax video recording system. While made of plastic, wires, and metal that earlier seemed to have little of the romance of the “antique,” this trend proves that these objects from the sixties, seventies, and eighties have acquired status as collectibles. Addictively browsable, this is the essential guide to what technology from the last half of the 20th century is collectible. This is the only book to survey the trend, catalogue and depict the full range of objects, and gauge the correct price levels. Even those who have not built a collection will be fascinated by the spirited product histories of the original Atari console, the Walkman, and the Betamax (which proves that every age has its Edsel―the product technically superior but destined to fail in the marketplace). Collectible Technology mourns all the gadgets from adolescence ever thrown away. It will start you wondering how much the brand new Ipod will be worth in a few decades…