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Retro-Electro: Collecting Technology from Atari to Walkman
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…
The book includes an impressive guide to where to buy these collectibles and which websites to use.
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…
The book includes an impressive guide to where to buy these collectibles and which websites to use.
- GenresDesign
160 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2005
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 14, 2025
It’s easy to say this is just an old man’s nostalgia, but I just spent the last three days and $75 setting up my laptop because I needed to wipe it out because of all the damn pop-up adds that automatically jumping out at me and starting videos even when I was away from the computer. And I’m still not done. And half the shit I reinstalled doesn’t work the way it used to and I have to reconfigure all the software I’d already configured because none of that information is saved except in the fucking ‘cloud’.
My old computer I start it in 15 seconds, type ‘Format C:’ put in a boot disk and have it ready to go in maybe an hour and a half. And I would NEVER have to do that because assholes are shoving advertisements at me to get at my money!
The old technology worked faster, more reliably and just better than it does now.
And every time I look at my iPhone and see all the stupidity of the programmers it makes me want to scream! Anyone with half a brain could program better than the idiots who work on the iPhone.
So yeah, this book called out to me.
”Workstation”
The Utopian future was promised, where technology would be our servant and how to occupy ourselves in our free time would become a pressing concern.
Lots of Calculators early in the book, including a 2” x 4” prototype that was never released and a calculator that only had a paper printout of results! There were also calculators that were sold as kits that had to be built by the buyer!
The Altair 8800 is personal computer even I have heard of. Named after a planet from Star Trek and included was a version of the BASIC programming language by a company called Micro-Soft.
The Calcu-Pen is also an amazing device - a calculator in a pen. The first calculator watch - made from solid gold is released at this time.
Of course the Apple is a collectors item, but having been made from 1977 to 1993 does not command a very high price.
The Commodore Pet, complete with cassette drive is mentioned here.
All of these items by the way come with high quality photographs.
The TRS80 (or ‘Trash 80’) shows up in 1980.
The IBM Personal Computer (with software by Bill Gates) shows up in 1981.
The Epson HX-20 (1982) is particularly impressive, having both a built-in printer (like a cash register and a built-in micro-cassette drive!
The Motorola 8500X Cell Phone from 1984 is the phone you see in movies that usually show as a joke how large cell phones in the past were. But having one would be a great joke, because apparently it still works on today’s networks!
The 1996 Palm Pilot is also here. I think I have one in a junk drawer and if they still made them truly I’d love to go back to using it. It’s battery life is longer and it crashes not at ALL. The iPhone is still not half as useful as the Palm Pilot was.
The Workstation section ends with 2004’s Handspring Treo Smartphone. A phone so bad I got money from a class action suit for it.
”Home Base”
The 1964 Lava Lamp makes the cut as well. A classic I’d still like to have.
1975 Niam Nap250. It has been so successful that Niam is still selling the model, albeit with an updated case design.
1977 sees a commercial two-inch television screen. So what were the screens used for the communicators in Space 1999?! (1975).
1979 sees the first Sony Walkman. It also sees the CB Radio.
1983 sees the Swatch watch introduced, which has always been a WTF item to me.
1985 sees the Sinclair C5 an electric car that should’ve changed the world.
2002 sees the introduction of the Apple IPOD. Meh. I’ve never owned or used one.
”Playtime” starts the toy section.
”The original inspiration for an electronic chess game is said to have come from Fidelity’s owner after watching an episode of Star Trek.
1976 introduces Palitoy Talking K-9 the robot dog in Doctor Who.
1977 introduces the Atari 2600, the first (and last) video game playing machine I ever used. I think I’d still have more fun with it, than anything out there today.
1978 introduces the “Simon” game from Milton Bradley. A waste of time that I have never seen the attraction of. Like social media.
1979 sees Space Invaders as an arcade game.
1980 sees Flash Gordon (based on the film) as a pinball game with voices!
1982 sees the infamous Commodore 64.
1984 sees the release of a Robby the Robot toy - which explains its picture on the back of the book!
1985 ”Casio keyboards gained fame when European pop group Trio played one on their hit ‘Da da da’. ”
Sorry if I’m not mentioning all the game playing machines. I gave up computer games after the Atari 2600. I understand they never made anything better anyway.
1994 introduces the Playmates Star Trek Phaser. Surprised to find it in this book. Yes, I have one.
1998 introduces the Furby. What the heck was the attraction??!
2002 introduces the Microsoft XBox.
2003 introduces the Product Enterprise Talking Dalek which I’m very glad to see on this list, but unfortunately I do not have one.
2003 ends the book with the Nintendo Game Boy SP.
After that is a fascinating list of web sites where presumably some of these things could be tracked down.
I loved going through this book! Lots of video game consoles which I had no interest in but still plenty of cool stuff.
It’s admittedly a coffee table book that you might not read more than once, but frankly I’ll give it 5 stars and keep it anyway!
My old computer I start it in 15 seconds, type ‘Format C:’ put in a boot disk and have it ready to go in maybe an hour and a half. And I would NEVER have to do that because assholes are shoving advertisements at me to get at my money!
The old technology worked faster, more reliably and just better than it does now.
And every time I look at my iPhone and see all the stupidity of the programmers it makes me want to scream! Anyone with half a brain could program better than the idiots who work on the iPhone.
So yeah, this book called out to me.
”Workstation”
The Utopian future was promised, where technology would be our servant and how to occupy ourselves in our free time would become a pressing concern.
Lots of Calculators early in the book, including a 2” x 4” prototype that was never released and a calculator that only had a paper printout of results! There were also calculators that were sold as kits that had to be built by the buyer!
The Altair 8800 is personal computer even I have heard of. Named after a planet from Star Trek and included was a version of the BASIC programming language by a company called Micro-Soft.
The Calcu-Pen is also an amazing device - a calculator in a pen. The first calculator watch - made from solid gold is released at this time.
Of course the Apple is a collectors item, but having been made from 1977 to 1993 does not command a very high price.
The Commodore Pet, complete with cassette drive is mentioned here.
All of these items by the way come with high quality photographs.
The TRS80 (or ‘Trash 80’) shows up in 1980.
The IBM Personal Computer (with software by Bill Gates) shows up in 1981.
The Epson HX-20 (1982) is particularly impressive, having both a built-in printer (like a cash register and a built-in micro-cassette drive!
The Motorola 8500X Cell Phone from 1984 is the phone you see in movies that usually show as a joke how large cell phones in the past were. But having one would be a great joke, because apparently it still works on today’s networks!
The 1996 Palm Pilot is also here. I think I have one in a junk drawer and if they still made them truly I’d love to go back to using it. It’s battery life is longer and it crashes not at ALL. The iPhone is still not half as useful as the Palm Pilot was.
The Workstation section ends with 2004’s Handspring Treo Smartphone. A phone so bad I got money from a class action suit for it.
”Home Base”
The 1964 Lava Lamp makes the cut as well. A classic I’d still like to have.
1975 Niam Nap250. It has been so successful that Niam is still selling the model, albeit with an updated case design.
1977 sees a commercial two-inch television screen. So what were the screens used for the communicators in Space 1999?! (1975).
1979 sees the first Sony Walkman. It also sees the CB Radio.
1983 sees the Swatch watch introduced, which has always been a WTF item to me.
1985 sees the Sinclair C5 an electric car that should’ve changed the world.
2002 sees the introduction of the Apple IPOD. Meh. I’ve never owned or used one.
”Playtime” starts the toy section.
”The original inspiration for an electronic chess game is said to have come from Fidelity’s owner after watching an episode of Star Trek.
1976 introduces Palitoy Talking K-9 the robot dog in Doctor Who.
1977 introduces the Atari 2600, the first (and last) video game playing machine I ever used. I think I’d still have more fun with it, than anything out there today.
1978 introduces the “Simon” game from Milton Bradley. A waste of time that I have never seen the attraction of. Like social media.
1979 sees Space Invaders as an arcade game.
1980 sees Flash Gordon (based on the film) as a pinball game with voices!
1982 sees the infamous Commodore 64.
1984 sees the release of a Robby the Robot toy - which explains its picture on the back of the book!
1985 ”Casio keyboards gained fame when European pop group Trio played one on their hit ‘Da da da’. ”
Sorry if I’m not mentioning all the game playing machines. I gave up computer games after the Atari 2600. I understand they never made anything better anyway.
1994 introduces the Playmates Star Trek Phaser. Surprised to find it in this book. Yes, I have one.
1998 introduces the Furby. What the heck was the attraction??!
2002 introduces the Microsoft XBox.
2003 introduces the Product Enterprise Talking Dalek which I’m very glad to see on this list, but unfortunately I do not have one.
2003 ends the book with the Nintendo Game Boy SP.
After that is a fascinating list of web sites where presumably some of these things could be tracked down.
I loved going through this book! Lots of video game consoles which I had no interest in but still plenty of cool stuff.
It’s admittedly a coffee table book that you might not read more than once, but frankly I’ll give it 5 stars and keep it anyway!
July 14, 2023
Delightful collection of retro electronics.
Loved it!
Loved it!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews