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I have a sealed 2G iPhone. Do you think it will become worth a lot?

Not for sure on the Apple II versus mac 1 in terms of current value. But the iPhone had a large production run (millions). A non-initial serial run would not be worth much because so many were made. I believe a sealed boxed iPhone 1 will have a few collectors willing to pay a premium for it...but not to the tune of more than $700 to $1,000.

Just my $.02

Cosmo
 
ItsJustafnPhone said:
the original iPhone sold for $500, $600

what are you guys getting so worked up about at this point many of these auctions aren't even breaking even lol

lock this thread, put the phone away for 20 years and see if it's worth anything

btw at least it's a first gen, those are the only version collectors are ever worried about ( no one in history is going to give a crap about a 3rd gen iPod shuffle lol)
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Glad I never paid that for my Sealed 1st Gen. Reason I bought it because it was such a great price.
 
tunerX said:
what happens if you open it up and there isn't even a phone inside?
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The seal is original. I have good knowledge since I have friends who collect old video games and sell a lot on eBay (dealing with many electronics that use cellophane). The seal is everything to them (knowing what is sealed or resealed). most people think an original seal should be straight parallel or on certain items make a 90 degree angle (h-seam seal on NES games). When in fact the original seal is not PERFECT and instead "more sloppy." Hope that makes sense.

And to other that say the battery will leak. I have been researching ans Lithium batteries don't leak (from what I read, let me know if I am wrong). And I understand ans realize that the battery is probably dead inside it and probably wouldn't even hold a good charge if I tried to charge it.
 
Well I can tell right now I wouldn't buy that thing, and in 20 years I wouldn't even remember it or care about it.
 
Don't listen to the people, when you see how fast apple is growing and popular it get, you know that in 20 years nearly everyone will have an iHome that is managed by one Apple super computer and iCars equipped with apple electronics and an apple interface. I'm confident that collectors will pay 100k+ minimum for an iPhone first gen.
 
JoelTGM said:
Well I can tell right now I wouldn't buy that thing, and in 20 years I wouldn't even remember it or care about it.
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I don't even know why people like you even comment on threads that have no interest to you. You knew what you were clicking on but yet you still have to be "that guy." And before you post, do some research about Apple collectors and you will find this iPhone will in fact, sell for a lot. I know someone that has a "TRUE" first gen iPod classic never removed from the box. He has had a $3000 offer multiple times and turned both offers down. The item is only going to increase in value just like the 1st Gen iPhone.

No one cares if you would buy it, or remember it. That was a complete waste of a post. Sorry for being rude but it's irritating.

Anyways there is a 181 million eBay users. I could sell it now for $350+ which is WAY more than I paid for it. So the fact you wouldn't buy it is irrelevant to this discussion.
 
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In 30 years it may be woth something, that is if the battery doesnt leak and trash the phone between now and then. Too bad you cant remove the battery...
 
The rarest of the rare would be locating a NIB factory sealed first generation 4 GB iPhone as they were only produced for about 40 days.

The second rarest would be the first generation 16 GB as they also had an extremely limited run before the 3G (second generation) was made in 16 GB.

The 2G in 8GB was produced during the full run of the first generation of iPhones and thus is the more common of the three models.
 
To be honest... This phone won't be worth anything in the future. It won't be usable. 50-60 years down the rode, iTunes won't exist. I'm sure there will be a completely different program or cloud based or who knows... I know for a fact that iTunes won't exist though. And this phone won't be able to do anything. The battery will also be shot from just sitting there for so long. If you think you're going to make millions or even tens of thousands.. you're going to be mistaken. 60 years from now phone technology is going to be so advanced I don't even understand why you would want an old phone. And Apple might not even exist 60 years from now. After Jobs dies, the company could get bought out.. you never know.
 
This sounds like an awesome idea until you open up the box to find that the battery has leaked and basically destroyed the phone...
 
lambo said:
Hey, I have one of the first manufactured iPhone 2G 8GBs still sealed, brand new, in box. Do you think it will increase in value massively over the years?

I'm just wondering if I should hold on to it or not. Thanks!
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Depends on how long you're willing to wait. If you wait a decade, it will be worth some serious cash.

If you wait till smartphones are completely displaced with a different tech altogether (embedded retinal chips or something), it will worth massive amounts of cash by then.

But if you're only willing to wait a few years, it won't be worth much.
 
Who cares about the battery leaking.

The only people that will want it a decade or so down the road would be hardcore collectors.

They are never going to take it out of the original packaging.
 
iPad 2 said:
Who cares about the battery leaking.

The only people that will want it a decade or so down the road would be hardcore collectors.

They are never going to take it out of the original packaging.
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Not true. Some collectors like to frame their collections. Why would you purchase it and let it sit in the box. For all you know there could be a rock inside the Apple box and then have it resealed.
 
Oh yea, keep it. My bag phone from 1989 is worth at least $5!! In twenty more years it should be worth a fortune!! :eek:

Your iPhone should be priceless in about 50 years... :D
 
iApples said:
To be honest... This phone won't be worth anything in the future. It won't be usable. 50-60 years down the rode, iTunes won't exist. I'm sure there will be a completely different program or cloud based or who knows... I know for a fact that iTunes won't exist though. And this phone won't be able to do anything. The battery will also be shot from just sitting there for so long. If you think you're going to make millions or even tens of thousands.. you're going to be mistaken. 60 years from now phone technology is going to be so advanced I don't even understand why you would want an old phone. And Apple might not even exist 60 years from now. After Jobs dies, the company could get bought out.. you never know.
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First, unless you have a time machine, you can't "know for a fact" that iTunes or anything else will not exist at some point in the future. I agree that it seems pretty unlikely that it will, but you never know.

Second, the point of a collectible is usally not to use it for the original intended purpose, or only sparingly so. Cars are well advanced from 60 yars ago, yet people buy and keep old cars. Some cars are worth next to nothing, yet other cars the same age are worth multiples of their original purchase price, even accounting for inflation.

Same can be said about pretty much anything. Most are worth little in the future, but rarley, some items will shoot up in cost, even if they can;t really be used for their original purpose any more.

The problem is, actually having that one out of 1000 item that does go up in cost at the time it is worth a lot. This is compounded by the fact that people keep things now that they never did in the past because of this potential, so fewer itmes actually appreciate compared to 30 years ago.

Will the original iPhone be one of those items, who knows, but the combination of a milestone product along with iconic design gives it more of a chance than some otehr random item from 2007, but only time will tell.
 
Hey, so I decided to see how this ol' thread was doing. I still have the phone. This thread can serve as an historical reference.

Let's see who will be right about the future value of this phone. I'm young so I can hold out for a long time.

Prediction: By 2017, it will be worth $1,500.
 
lambo said:
Hey, so I decided to see how this ol' thread was doing. I still have the phone. This thread can serve as an historical reference.

Let's see who will be right about the future value of this phone. I'm young so I can hold out for a long time.

Prediction: By 2017, it will be worth $1,500.
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I'm holding on to a sealed iPad 1st gen 32GB 3G. I want to see what it will be worth in 10 years.
 
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