How it works

The premise is simple: what if, instead of buying a famous product on the day it launched, you had taken that exact amount of money and bought shares in the company that made it?

The calculation

Every valuation on this site is calculated using three data points: the retail launch price of the product, the historical closing share price of the company on the day the product launched, and the current share price today.

We divide the product's launch price by the historical share price to determine exactly how many shares you could have bought. We then multiply that share count by today's share price to get the current value.

Stock splits & dividends

All historical prices are split-adjusted and dividend-adjusted. This is crucial for accuracy. Nike has split its stock multiple times since 1985 and has paid dividends throughout. If you look up Nike's raw closing price in April 1985, it shows around $10. But the split-and-dividend-adjusted price for that same date — the number we use — is far lower, because it accounts for every subsequent split and the compounding effect of reinvested dividends. Using the adjusted price means the maths correctly reflects the total return an investor would have received, not just the price appreciation.

The rules

Commission-free trades: We assume you pay $0 in brokerage fees. Most retail brokers now offer this, and it keeps the calculation clean.

Taxes: We ignore capital gains tax and dividend tax. This is a gross return calculation — your actual after-tax return would be lower.

Public companies only: If a product launched before the company went public, we do not include it. The "what if you bought shares instead" premise only works if you could actually buy the shares on that day.

Launch day pricing: We use the closing price on the exact day the product launched. If the product launched on a weekend or public holiday, we use the closing price from the next available trading day.

Data sources

Share prices — including historical prices, current prices, and dividend and split adjustments — are sourced automatically and updated each morning. Product launch dates and retail prices are manually verified from historical press releases, news archives, and manufacturer records.

Suggest a product or flag a correction

If you know of a product that belongs here, or you've spotted something that looks wrong, we'd love to hear from you.