Often these little practice amps are better than you think, but are held back by the stock speakers and cabinet. I got a Fender 15G free when I bought a guitar years ago. Recently, I populated the circuit board for reverb, added a spring tank, and swapped in a Celestion speaker, and it's now pretty good.
But a few weeks ago I ended up with another free Fender 15G! This time I think I'll build a new cabinet for it as well as adding in the reverb.
In effect, is it really that different to a fine? It seems to have a couple of advantages, though: it's easier to collect, and it's proportional, so a person who can afford a fancy luxury car pays more than someone in an old banger, without the complexity of having to evaluate their income and savings.