5 Helpful Retro Devices Your Grandpa May Nonetheless Have

Warm climate is right here, and for a lot of which means doing a little bit of spring cleansing. Going by means of all the pieces and deciding what to maintain, what to donate, and what to toss out. If you have got grandparents, you may even end up up within the attic serving to them clear out outdated packing containers which have been amassing mud for many years. And hiding inside these packing containers is likely to be a treasure trove of retro devices which are making a comeback, however is also value a fairly penny due to it. 

From early mobile units and sport consoles, to throwback audio gamers and wacky cameras, there may very well be some attention-grabbing outdated tech grandpa nonetheless has that is extra invaluable than you suppose. We searched excessive and low on-line to seek out out what classic tech treasures are value some severe cash. According to offered listings from on-line public sale websites, these outdated devices are those you may simply need to maintain your eyes open for subsequent time you are serving to your grandparents kind by means of their stuff.

Read extra: 7 Discontinued Smartphone Features We Want Back (And 7 That Can Stay Gone)

Sony TPS-L2 Walkman

The Sony TPS-L2 Walkman is a incredible piece of retro tech that was launched in 1979, and has obtained a dose of recent consideration because of its inclusion in movies equivalent to “Guardians of the Galaxy.” It really modified the face of music, because it was the primary commercially accessible private stereo cassette participant. Units on the secondhand market in the present day can promote for a whole bunch of {dollars}, like a Walkman that was listed as damaged and finest for components, promoting on eBay for $361 in May 2026. 

That’s a pretty big sum of cash for one thing that is not working, displaying simply how in style these units nonetheless are. If you have got one in good working situation, bear in mind that accomplished gross sales in 2026 vary from $565 to as a lot as $1,800. And when you discover different Walkman fashions laying round grandpa’s home, chances are high they’re value one thing too, with classic models from the 80s and 90s promoting for $100 and up, even in non-working situation.

Commodore Amiga 500

People of a sure age will most definitely keep in mind the Commodore 64 pc. It was a staple of the house and classroom within the Eighties earlier than Apple arrived. And whereas the Commodore 64 will be value one thing on the secondhand market in good situation, its the later Commodore Amiga 500 the place the actual worth is. Perhaps not as in style because the Commodore 64 within the United States, the Amiga 500 was a remaining effort by Commodore to remain related within the rising pc market as losses racked up. 

It struck a chord with music producers because of an spectacular audio processing chip, and a few artists nonetheless use the machine to this present day. Gaming additionally benefited, with titles equivalent to “Lemmings”, “Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty”, and “Worms” hitting the machine. Complete Commodore Amiga 500s have offered on-line for $350, with models that includes music sampling software program going for greater than $600. 

Sony Trinitron tv

There was a time the place you could possibly stroll right into a thrift retailer and discover a CRT tv promoting for a few {dollars}. In 2015, main thrift retailers stopped accepting all these TVs as a result of the amount was overwhelming. In reality, I snagged just a few without cost, as my native Goodwill was going to easily toss them. But lately, the demand for CRT televisions has elevated as youthful generations get into retro video gaming. They are additionally in style with youngsters from the Nineties who at the moment are adults with cash to spend on rebuilding their collections. 

Good CRT televisions will be value a fairly penny, however none extra so than the Sony PVM line. These televisions promote for a whole bunch of {dollars}, with some models of the smaller PVM line promoting on-line for over $1,000. That’s some huge cash for an outdated TV that may merely be hiding away in a storage. My mother and father owned a massively heavy 36″ Sony Trinitron that’s now the centerpiece of my own game room. These models can sell online for over $150, making saving it from the scrapheap one of the best investments I made as a teen. 

Nokia 9110i Communicator

Nokia is still making smartphones in 2026, even though some are cheap Android phones you should steer clear of. But older devices like the Nokia 9110i Communicator can be worth some serious money. A Nokia Communicator, from 1996, sold online for nearly $500 in February 2026. Others have sold for upwards of $300 in untested condition, and even upgraded models from the era have retained impressive value. This cellphone line from Nokia was popular with the business crowd of the day, as the face flipped open to expose a full keyboard and screen. 

The Communicator series came with a lot of tech for the time, including an MMC card slot and a web browser. But the main thing that made these retro Nokia gadgets unique was the GEOS operating system that ran as a layer on top of Embedded DOS-ROM. This meant the phone could run MS-DOS applications, and was one of the reasons it became sought after in the business world as it helped blur the line between a cellphone, PDA, and laptop.

Polaroid 600 Tasmanian Devil Instant Camera

Not every retro gadget that grandpa still has remains valuable today. Sure, old film cameras are popular again, but a vintage Polaroid 600 camera can be found online for less than $100 in 2026. But if you have a specific model of the camera, you might be able to translate that into a bit more money. Like the Polaroid 600 Tasmanian Devil edition that has traded hands for several hundreds of dollars. Released in 1999 and shaped like the head of the Tasmanian Devil, this retro camera is sure to draw attention. 

Polaroid even offered matching movie that featured a Looney Tunes branded body. Boxed variations of the digital camera have offered on eBay for as a lot as $350 in 2026, little doubt pushed by its recognition amongst on the spot digital camera and Looney Tunes collectors. Seeing somebody whip out the top of the Tasmanian Devil, just for it to open its mouth and take a Polaroid image would certainly be entertaining, and goes to indicate that trendy expertise feels prefer it’s misplaced a step by way of easy enjoyable options.

Methodology

When researching retro devices that may very well be invaluable in the present day, we appeared to what has been promoting lately on the secondhand market. This included eBay and different on-line purchasing platforms equivalent to OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, and Mercari. We averted normal hypothesis on pricing and overvaluation by collectors, relying solely on the ultimate sale worth of retro devices offered on these websites throughout the final yr.

Enjoyed this text? Sign up to BGR’s free newsletter and add us as a preferred search source for the most recent in tech and leisure, plus ideas and recommendation you will truly use.

Read the original article on BGR.