40 Things That Everyone Had In The ’70s That No One Sees Today
26. Vinyl Records
Where It Was Sold: Record Stores, Camelot Music, Sam Goody, Peaches Records & Tapes
Original Est. Cost: $6-$7*
Current Est. Value: $10-$100*
Putting a vinyl record on the player was the number-one way to party in the 1970s. Millions of people owned a record player back then, and you couldn’t find a house in the seventies that didn’t have at least a radio, if not an RCA.
Some of the biggest records of the decade included “Born to Run” (Bruce Springsteen, 1975), “Blue” (Joni Mitchell, 1971), “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (Simon & Garfunkel, 1970), “Hunky Dory” (David Bowie, 1971), “What’s Going On” (Marvin Gaye, 1971), and more. You can find a lot of old vinyl records from the seventies on eBay for $10 to $30 apiece.
27. Transistor Radios
Where It Was Sold: Best Buy, Radio Shack, Electronics Stores
Original Est. Cost: $50*
Current Est. Value: $50-$90*
The transistor radio is a portable, small receiver that uses transistor technology. The transistor was invented in the 1940s, and transistor radios became popular in the 1960s and ‘70s. They were the most-used electronic communications device in the world during those two decades, with millions sold worldwide.
Best Buy, Radio Shack, and other electronics stores couldn’t keep these radios from flying off the shelves. In the 1970s, these radios usually sold for around $50, but now, you can resell them for $50 to $90, depending on the make and model. Though dated, these hardy little devices are still perfectly usable and functional.
28. Tiger Beat Magazine
Where It Was Sold: Grocery Stores, Newsstands, Walmart
Original Est. Cost: $0.25*
Current Est. Value: $10-$20*
Remember Tiger Beat? This teen fan magazine was first published in the fall of 1965, and it had a decades-long run, issuing its final copy in the winter of 2019. Published by The Laufer Company. Tiger Beat was known for its teen idol gossip, cut-and-paste collage covers, and articles on movies, music, and fashion.
You can still find these issues on eBay, though they sell for $10 to $20 now. In the seventies, you could pick them up at stores for just $0.25 apiece. Laufer Media was great at dominating the teenage-girl market, and that explains this magazine’s decades-long popularity.
29. Polaroid Cameras
Where It Was Sold: Radio Shack, Best Buy, Walmart, Mail-Order Catalogs
Original Est. Cost: $180*
Current Est. Value: $40-$150*
In late 1972, Polaroid released a camera that would change the way the world thought about photography. The seventies was a huge heyday for consumer photographers who wanted to take their photos themselves, no professional necessary. That year, Polaroid came out with the SX-70.
They sold it for $180 (about $1,166 in today’s money). Each film pack of ten pictures costs $6.90 ($45, adjusting for inflation). Though this high price limited the demand, Polaroid was still able to sell 700,000 units by the middle of 1974. The one-step instant camera was a huge hit, and families scrounged to save enough money to buy this wonder gadget.
30. Clackers
Where It Was Sold: Toys R Us, Macy’s, Toy Stores
Original Est. Cost: $0.50*
Current Est. Value: $35*
Clackers were a popular toy in the sixties and seventies until people realized that they had the potential to be super dangerous. These toys consisted of two balls tethered together by a piece of string, and you could whirl them around, and they would produce a satisfying thunk when the balls hit one another.
Alas, the original version of these toys was banned in 1968 because the balls shattered upon impact, causing kids to get hurt. In 1968, the company, after getting sued, reworked its product, changing the material in the balls to plastic. Interestingly enough, Clackers became popular in Egypt in 2017, until they were confiscated by the police because they were considered offensive. This toy has had quite a history, from mechanical hazards to offensive objects.
