Vintage Walkman Values and Collectibility

The Walkman Value Guide

Aiwa Guy
If you're looking for a personal stereo, you probably needn't look too far. These appliances have become as commonplace as the television and pocket calculator. Chances are you've probably got one within arm's reach right now.

Any collector (yes, there are a few out there!) will tell you that not all walkmans built alike. The list below is a compilation of those unusual or highly sought after models--the "holy grails," if you will. Some of these might be familiar to you, for you may see one that you had or wanted when you were younger. Others are historically significant in some way for they had some sort of impact on the industry. The rest are exotic models that barely hit shelves due to their lack of marketability or hefty price tags. Whatever the case may be, these are models that are most prized by collectors.

YEAR	Make	Model	Value	Notes
1979	Sony	TPS-L2	* *	First Personal Stereo Cassette Player
1980	Aiwa	TP-S30	* * * *	First Personal Stereo Cassette Recorder
1981	Sony	WM-2	* *	Second Sony Walkman; Compact All-Metal Chassis
1981	Infinity	Intimate	* * *	First Personal Stereo w/ Dolby NR; Audio Company's only walkman
1981	Akai	PM-01	* * *	Akai's First; $190 1981 List Price; FM Tuner Pack
1981	Sanyo	M5550	* * * *	Slim All-Metal Chassis; Music Search; Pitch Control
1981	Toshiba	KT-S2	* *	Toshiba's First Personal Stereo; FM & AM Tuner Packs
1981	Aiwa	CS-J1	* * * *	Stereo Cassette Recorder w/ Built-In FM Tuner
1981	Koss	Music Box	* * *	AM/FM Stereo; Featured dB Level Warning Circuit
1981	Sony	TCS-300	* * *	Sony's First Personal Stereo Cassette Recorder
1982	Olympus	SR11	* * *	Personal Micro-Cassette Stereo w/ AM/FM/Line-In Audio
1982	Sony	WM-R2	* * * *	Compact All-Metal Stereo Cassette Recorder
1982	Sony	WM-3	* * *	Sony's Third Walkman; Similar Design to the TPS-L2
1982	Proton	100	* * * *	Only Personal Stereo by Proton; FM Stereo Only; $120 Original List Price
1982	JVC	CQ-F22K	* * * *	FM Cassette That Separated to Two Pieces; Dolby; Anti-Rolling; Antenna
1982	Sony	WM-F5	* * *	Sony's First Sports Model
1982	Sony	WM-F2	* * * *	Slim FM Cassette Recorder
1983	Sony	WM-10	* * *	Smallest Cassette Player to Date; All Metal Chassis
1983	Sony	SR-A1	* * * *	First AM Stereo Walkman
MORE TO COME...

In 1999, Sony celebrated its 20 year anniversary of the Walkman and paid tribute to a number of significant releases: the TPS-L2, WM-2, WM-3, WM-3EX, WM-D6, WM-R2, WM-F2, WM-7, WM-DD, WM-5, WM-20, WM-F20, WM-F15, WM-D6C, WM-DC2, WM-17, WM-R15, WM-30, WM-F30 and WM-40.