The first Walkmans labeled their headphone jacks “GUYS & DOLLS.” We compare three units from our collection to show how Guys & Dolls differs from the later TPS-L2, how Guys & Dolls units differ from one another, and why serials in the 40,000s and 50,000s are genuine.

The Sony Walkman, first released as the TPS-L2 in Japan on July 1, 1979, totally changed how people listened to music. It all started when Sony co-founder Masaru Ibuka wanted a way to listen to music on the go.