The 1947 Brush Development Company Model BK-401 was the first consumer tape recorder. Unlike later tape recorders which used tape based on acetate or Mylar, the BK-401's tape was made of paper, with an oxide coating glued to one side. At introduction in late 1946 it was priced at $299.00. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator, $299.00 in 1946 would be $3,253 in 2009 dollars!
You can watch a short YouTube video of it playing here.
