The Handy Guide to Finding Tech Treasures

Got an old piece of tech lying around in your attic? An old Apple or Zenith radio perhaps? Or even a PlayStation 2?

Photo Credit: PeCeT_full Flickr via Compfight cc

Hold on to it! Do not throw it away! Who knows, it could be worth a treasure!

You see, Bonhams, an auction house has curated a list of ten "antique" technology gadgets "whose value often goes unnoticed by owners".

Here is the List highlights:

RCA TRK-12, 1939:

“Mirror-lid televisions from the 1930s are amongst the world’s rarest and oldest TV sets,” Bonhams said in a blog post. At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, this was one of the first TVs shown to the public. About 1,600 units were produced, “the most of any pre-war television.” At a 2009 auction by Bonhams, a 1939 RCA TRK-12 was sold for $5,900.

Kenbak-1 Computer, 1971-74:

Said to be the “world’s first personal computer.” Only 50 were built and only 14 are believed to still exist today. At a 2015 auction by Bonhams, a Kenbak-1 was sold for $31,250.

Enigma Machines, 1920s-1940:

The Enigma machines were electro-mechanical "rotor cipher machines" developed to protect diplomatic and military communications. There were orders to destroy the machines at the end of WWII but some were recovered from Germany and other Nazi-controlled countries. American GIs even brought them back as souvenirs. At a 2016 auction by Bonhams, a 1943 M4 4-rotor Enigma machine was sold for $463,500.

Apple I Computer, 1976:

This is the coveted Apple Mac progenitor designed and built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in 1976. At the time, it had a list price of $666.66. Only 66 authentic Apple I computers are known to still exist, according to Bonhams. At a 2014 auction, an Apple I computer motherboard was sold for $905,000.

Apple II Computer: note that the first series of the Apple II Computer (1977-1981) has value too.

About 40,000 of these were sold worldwide. At a 2011 auction on eBay, a 1977 Apple II was sold for $6,100.

Zenith “Companion” Portable Radio:

Zenith, one of the last the great American TV manufacturers, made lots of electronic products, including radios. The Companion is “widely regarded” as the world’s first true portable radio, according to Bonhams. At a 2014 auction on eBay, a 1924 Zenith “Companion” Portable Radio was sold for $12,000.

Snow White PlayStation 2, 2001:

This is the ‘Snow White’ version of the PlayStation 2 with its matching controller. It “can often be mistaken for the standard white, classic PS2, because the two are identical except for a glossy 'automotive' (also known as 'ceramic') pure white paint scheme,” Bonhams said. Only 666 units of this console were made for each region. At a 2016 auction by Catawiki, a Snow White PlayStation 2 was listed at $780 – $1,180.

For the complete Handy Guide to finding Tech Treasures in your Attic, click here!

If you discover something that could be a technological treasure you can submit it for possible appraisal by Bonhams’ experts!

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