7. The Prototype in the Attic
In the early 1990s, Nintendo and Sony began working on a console together. The deal fell apart, and the machine was thought to exist only as a rumor. Collectors argued about it online for years.
In 2009, a man named Terry Diebold bought some items from an online bankruptcy auction for a reported $75. Years later, his son Dan realized what was in the box: a working prototype that could play Super Famicom cartridges and carried a PlayStation logo.
It sat in the family’s attic for years, then Dan posted photos on Reddit. The family brought the console to events, but travelling with it cost money, and they decided to sell.
In March 2020 it sold at Heritage Auctions in Dallas for $360,000, including the buyer’s premium. The buyer was Greg McLemore, the founder of Pets.com.