[Lee Stewart]

In 2011, a still-functioning Marconi 702 went up for auction in London. The TV, which had a 12-inch screen inside a walnut and mahogany case, was first bought in 1936, just three weeks after transmissions in the UK started. Unfortunately, the original owner had only been able to watch it in their London home for a few hours before a nearby transmitter burned down. Picture wasn't restored to the area until a decade later in 1946, according to Time. The original owner bought it for £100 ($130), which was half of an average annual salary in the 1930s.