Programmers in the first category should still be able to get a job if they can communicate their skill. Listing both old and new stuff (punch cards, Cobol, C systems programming, Java, Ruby, Python) always commands respect from me for a seasoned programmer. If they contribute to a current open-source project or have some free app on, it should be a no-brainer.
I think one could make several distinctions about "being successful" though:
* You're good at it, and you're still employed at 50.
* You strike it rich, so you can do whatever you want at 50.
From what you write here, you're in the second category. Given the odds of striking it rich though, I hope people post about type #1 programmers too.