Fallout TV show catapults price of retro green phosphor displays by up to 78%

Vintage PCs and displays that use green phosphor, commonly seen in the Fallout TV show and gaming franchise, have experienced a price spike, which could be linked to the success of the TV show and the resurgence of the popular gaming franchise.

The Fallout TV show has gone down well with both critics and fans of the games that inspired it. The Fallout franchise has a very distinct ‘retro-futuristic’ visual style with roots in Art Deco trends and early technological advances of the 1950s. This extends to the menus and computer displays in the game series, which the TV show has embraced by utilizing the iconic ‘green phosphor’ displays from the early days of computing.

Phosphor displays refer to the classic CRT monitors used in the early days of computer technology. Unlike modern displays, they could only display one color, which was predominantly green.

In the Fallout games, this type of display was often used in Vaults to provide background lore and information for certain quests.

The use of this display type in Fallout has had an unusual effect on the retro market, which has seen a sudden surge in demand for these vintage displays.

Vintage Apple computers have always been popular, as Apple as a brand has a huge number of fans. As a result, prices for vintage Apple computers and monitors have long been higher than less well-known rivals. Since the airing of the Fallout show, these vintage displays have seen a significant jump in price.

Is the Fallout TV show behind rising prices?

A Vintage Apple II monitor with a green phosphor display was sold on April 8, 2024 on eBay, with a final price of $57.94.

A few days later, on April 11, a day after the Fallout TV show was released on Prime Video, a similar Apple II green phosphor monitor was sold on eBay for $89.99. This denotes an immediate 43% increase in price.

The difference becomes even more dramatic when the prices of full PC sales are considered. The Apple II is a design classic and is always in high demand by enthusiasts. The new influx of those looking for some Fallout style in their lives has seen these prices also take a jump.

An Apple IIe computer which included the DuoDrive and green phosphor monitor was sold on March 29, 2024, via eBay for a final price of $260. A comparable Apple IIe which included a DuoDrive and a green phosphor monitor was sold on April 19, 2024, also on eBay for a final price of $475. This is an eye-watering 58% increase in the space of just a few weeks. The only difference seemingly is the release of the Fallout TV show.

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One of the more interesting examples is the Radio Shack TRS-80. This computer was everywhere in the early 80s. Thanks to its plentiful supply for years it was considered a good starting point for new retro collectors. A complete Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 3 with a green phosphor monitor was sold on April 5, 2024, for $350. A fairly steep price, but still in the expected range for a complete working unit in good condition.

After the Fallout TV show landed on Prime, things look a little different. Another complete TRS-80 model 3 with a green phosphor monitor was sold on eBay on April 11, 2024, for an eye-watering price of $800, a massive 78% jump in price.

By contrast, prices of color CRT monitors have remained fairly static, holding steady between $60 to $100 depending on size and condition with no significant jumps in price or demand.

If you have a green phosphor monitor or computer gathering dust in your attic or garage, maybe you should consider dusting it off and putting it up for sale. You might just be sitting on a bottle caps goldmine.