You could be sitting on a goldmine of old tech and toys

March 4, 2024

By Kim Komando

Gadgets have a set shelf life — which is why we’re not all still using huge, bulging monitors and portable CD players. You might have cupboards or even an entire basement packed with outdated tech you keep meaning to get rid of. Hang on, though, before you send it all to the trash. Vintage tech — and even toys — can make you some serious cash as collectors’ items.

In other words, your dusty basement could be a treasure trove of classic technology. Some of these numbers are jaw-dropping!

I regret not buying two

If you’ve got an unopened first-generation iPhone lying around from way back in 2007, lock it up in a safe or safe deposit box: One of these phones fetched over $190,000 last year. Not a bad profit, considering it originally retailed for $499.

Runners-up in the gadget category: A sealed iPod 1 ($20,000), a Nintendo Game Boy ($1,800), a sealed Nokia 8910 ($1,050) and a Sony TPS-L2 Walkman ($700).

Computers: Expensive then, worth a lot now

Classic computers and gaming consoles often rake in high returns as well. A rare Commodore 65 prototype from a series of computers that were must-have devices back in the day went for a cool $50,000 on eBay. You can buy quite a few laptops with that kind of cash.

A functioning Apple-1 computer from 1976 sold for $442,118, and it can’t even run Safari. OK … this particular one was hand-numbered by Steve Jobs himself and only one of 200 ever made.

Runners-up: The MITS Altair 8800 ($8,125), an Apple Macintosh ($2,500) and an Amiga 4000 ($2,200).

Collectors love vintage games, too

Have your old console or games sitting around? A sealed copy of Super Mario 64 from 1996 recently fetched an astonishing $1.56 million. If you opened your copy to play it, you won’t get as much, sorry.

Runners-up: The Legend of Zelda ($870,000), Sonic the Hedgehog ($350,000), Stadium Events ($35,000) and Tetris ($15,160).

Barbie is so in right now

Barbie dolls were attracting record prices way before the latest movie. The Guinness World Record for the most expensive Barbie sold? $302,500. It was custom-made with a diamond necklace.

Runners-up in the toy category: GI Joe ($200,000), Boba Fett ($185,850), a Steiff Louis Vuitton teddy bear ($182,550) and a Transformers Air Guardian Jetfire ($25,000).

OK, listen. Your stash of old tech may not break records, but you might still be able to make a good chunk of cash. Time to raid the basement!

🤣 I’ll never forget when my Xbox, PS4 and Switch all broke on the same day. I was in-console-able.