Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Calling all iPhone Collectors

iChernov said:
Could you please provide any proof? I have the 4gb european iPhone (demo model), which was not released for sale, and I have words of the Ireland's Apple's office representatives, who clearly stated that iPhone 4GB was not released for commercial sale. And also neither on eBay.de nor on eBay.co.uk never appeared european 4GB iPhones with original and non-white (demo) boxes. I would be very glad to know additional information, if you have it
Click to expand...

Looks like :apple: Ireland was misinformed. There is a new one with the box listed on ebay.de right now(item #181507641776), this one too(#251322989917) and another loose one sold about 2 months ago. They saw a very limited release. The internet is your best friend ;)
 
Last edited:
SeilerBird said:
Collectors really crack me up. I have made a lot of money off of collectors. I sold used records in the 70s and 80s and I had a baseball and football card business in the 90s. There are several amazing facts about collectors. They never ever buy anything that is marked "collectors edition". They really don't give a darn about the item they are collecting. All that is important is the amount of money they are going to be worth in the future. This fact is easily proven by noticing that collectors never actually use or enjoy their collections, they just brag about them and wait for them to be worth ungodly amounts of money so they can then resell them. I know this will upset a lot of collectors to read this but it is the truth. There is no point to owning an unopened box of something unless you plan on opening the box and using the device. An unopened box is basically worthless except in the minds of greedy people.
Click to expand...

I disagree with your statement. Yes many people(who aren't collectors) would consider collectors silly and unreasonable, why? Because they are looking from the outside in, and aren't a collector.

A true (hobby)collector collects items that they value, they aren't worried about what an item will be worth in x amount of years from now. You are confusing a collector with an investor(sometimes called professional collectors) which is someone who invest in something hoping that it will appreciate in value. Can a collector be an investor, sure but you are stereotyping all of them as that, which is certainly not true.

SeilerBird said:
This fact is easily proven by noticing that collectors never actually use or enjoy their collections, they just brag about them and wait for them to be worth ungodly amounts of money so they can then resell them."
Click to expand...

This part is really just, SAD. Obviously you didn't read the title, or any of the post in this thread. Not to mention there is A WHOLE section on these forums full of dedicated apple collectors. Too funny:p
 
  • Like
Reactions: lugworm
Rocknbuyer said:
A true (hobby)collector collects items that they value, they aren't worried about what an item will be worth in x amount of years from now. You are confusing a collector with an investor(sometimes called professional collectors) which is someone who invest in something hoping that it will appreciate in value. Can a collector be an investor, sure but you are stereotyping all of them as that, which is certainly not true.
Click to expand...
What is the point of collecting something if you don't think it is going to go up in value? Yes I am stereotyping them. All collectors are investors. I have been selling to them most of my life.
 
Not a collector, but here's my 3,4,5, & 6.
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    1.5 MB · Views: 191
Rocknbuyer said:
Looks like :apple: Ireland was misinformed. There is a new one with the box listed on ebay.de right now(item #181507641776), this one too(#251322989917) and another loose one sold about 2 months ago. They saw a very limited release. The internet is your best friend ;)
Click to expand...

Excuse me, but you proved my statement, not yours. These are demo iPhones, which were not for resale and shipped in white boxes to in-store demo use only. On the first auction it is also clearly stated and shown on the photo - it is DEMO version. Due to the all information I have the only versions of iPhone for the end customers in Europe was 8GB and 16GB modifications. I don't see in the information and links you provided, as well as in the official information from 2007, any evidence of existing retail version of the 4GB european iPhone.

----------
AuroraProject said:
Not a collector, but here's my 3,4,5, & 6.
Click to expand...

Looking at 6+ I'm feeling my hands small...
 
iChernov said:
Excuse me, but you proved my statement, not yours.
Click to expand...

Excuse me, but what world are you in? Your ignorance amuses me:p

iChernov said:
And also neither on eBay.de nor on eBay.co.uk never appeared european 4GB iPhones with original and non-white (demo) boxes.
Click to expand...

I just showed you 3 of the phones that were recently listed on eBay, clearly proving your "neither of the european 4GB iPhones have been on eBay" statement as BS.

The European iPhone 4GB models are no doubt rare, but they aren't impossible to find and show up frequently. Not sure why you are getting all defensive. It's not my fault you overpaid for it because you thought it was the only one that existed:eek:
;)
 
Rocknbuyer said:
Excuse me, but what world are you in? Your ignorance amuses me:p



I just showed you 3 of the phones that were recently listed on eBay, clearly proving your "neither of the european 4GB iPhones have been on eBay" statement as BS.

The European iPhone 4GB models are no doubt rare, but they aren't impossible to find and show up frequently. Not sure why you are getting all defensive. It's not my fault you overpaid for it because you thought it was the only one that existed:eek:
;)
Click to expand...

1) I didn't overpay for anything - all stuff I but have the right price, otherwise I don't buy it
2) You're wrong AGAIN. I wrote " neither on eBay.de nor on eBay.co.uk never appeared european 4GB iPhones with original and non-white (demo) boxes" - all iPhones, links for which you provided, ARE in WHITE DEMO boxes.

Unlike you I carefully read what the others write. I think that's time to stop this worthless dispute unless you can prove your words.
 
Could be interesting for somebody - different kinds of wallpapers on the screens of the iPhones on the boxes of iPhone 4: iOS 4.0, iOS 4.3 (with game center)+iOS 5 (the same wallpaper), iOS 6 (box of the CDMA iPhone 4 model) and iOS 7 (extremely hard to find)

c463fd12bb768e8f9ad32d06dd948f78.png
 
maflynn said:
Maybe but I don't think its going to be like a sealed Macintosh 128k. I just don't see how a product that sold millions will be a collector's item. Too many of them to make it rare.
Click to expand...
Do you have a clue as to how many copies of the original Beatles albums were produced? Do you have any idea what those are worth today? Especially sealed or mint condition ones? Chew on this for a while:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beatles-Ult...860?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2349a7d3cc
 
Just got my hands on a mint condition iPhone 3G (not the 3GS) 16GB version for $40. Trying to find a 2G in good condition now (not so easy. Most are scratched to hell on the back). I also have a mint 4S and my iPhone 6.

My iPhone collection bug just started this year, so I am behind the curve. :D
 
I sort of collect them. Not as actively as you guys. I keep what I have used and my friend works for the roads department and finds them all busted up and hands them off to me.
 
SeilerBird said:
Do you have a clue as to how many copies of the original Beatles albums were produced? Do you have any idea what those are worth today? Especially sealed or mint condition ones? Chew on this for a while:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Beatles-Ult...860?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2349a7d3cc
Click to expand...

So someone put it up on ebay for $30k. Unless it actually sells, what some dude out it up as a buy it now for is rather irrelevant. I've had many people try and haggle with me on various items citing ebay. Ebay is useless unless you are citing actual sales that actually successfully happened (which can be done by the way).
 
  • Like
Reactions: SquidRuby
lordofthereef said:
So someone put it up on ebay for $30k. Unless it actually sells, what some dude out it up as a buy it now for is rather irrelevant. I've had many people try and haggle with me on various items citing ebay. Ebay is useless unless you are citing actual sales that actually successfully happened (which can be done by the way).
Click to expand...
As always you are absolutely correct. I should have searched the Completed Listing section instead. Here is the a Beatles album that did actually sell but only for $15k. Of course it is missing the cover so it sold for less:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-BEATLES...61722576662?pt=UK_Records&hash=item3cefe19716

Here is a 45 that sold for only $12k;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-BEATLES...8937393?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item339a1d34b1

Another single for almost $10k:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-BEATLES...usic_Music_Memorabilia_LE&hash=item462dde10a0

Another album without a cover for $6k:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Beatles...91315745422?pt=UK_Records&hash=item43d3c5828e

Many copies of the original butcher cover sell well over $30K. The point of my other post was collectors pay obscene amounts of money for items they covet. So people collecting iPhones could end up with very valuable items even though millions were made.
 
Last edited:
I've seen old ones being sold on eBay from time to time many people have older models as they use them as iPods for their kids or even something for their kids to play games on.
There's I real value to these old iPhones unless maybe it's a prototype
 
SeilerBird said:
As always you are absolutely correct. I should have searched the Completed Listing section instead. Here is the a Beatles album that did actually sell but only for $15k. Of course it is missing the cover so it sold for less:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-BEATLES...61722576662?pt=UK_Records&hash=item3cefe19716

Here is a 45 that sold for only $12k;

http://www.ebay.com/itm/THE-BEATLES...8937393?pt=Music_on_Vinyl&hash=item339a1d34b1

Another single for almost $10k:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-BEATLES...usic_Music_Memorabilia_LE&hash=item462dde10a0

Another album without a cover for $6k:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Beatles...91315745422?pt=UK_Records&hash=item43d3c5828e

Many copies of the original butcher cover sell well over $30K. The point of my other post was collectors pay obscene amounts of money for items they covet. So people collecting iPhones could end up with very valuable items even though millions were made.
Click to expand...

Aren't these all rare first prints? I'm not arguing that people collecting iPhones couldn't be sitting on a boatload of cash 30-40 years from now. It wasn't the point of me mentioning anything at all. Perhaps the folks collecting an iPhone on a rare firmware or something of that nature absolutely have something, as do people with rarer vinyl. If I had to guess, millions of these specific items were not made, right?. Same would go for any extremely rare variant of any iphone. If millions exist, who is laying tens of thousands of dollars for them?

Just about the only thing I collect is ninjanturtles comics and memorabilia. By far and large the most valuable items are the ones in limited print. Issue one has had a couple million prints, but the most valuable is the first print, which people are also paying thousands for. Even the second print, which was rather limited in comic book standards, is worth peanuts in comparison. But there aren't millions of that first print. There are about five hundred. To a collector, the rest of those prints don't even exist lol.

For the record, I am wrong just as often as I am right, and I recognize that. Not sure where that little bit came from... Oh well.
 
Last edited:
Yes they did make millions of these records, but about once a year they change the label or the pressings in some minute little way making a small segment of the collector market go nuts for them. To the average sane person there is no difference. I have been selling to collectors since the sixties. I sold records in the 60s 70s and 80s. Then in the 80s and 90s I sold baseball and football cards. I have basically been dealing with collectors all my life. They are all crazy. Virtually none of them are collectors because they want the item, no that's why they leave them sealed and never use them. It is always a financial thing. They think it is going to be worth zillions of dollars at some future date. Of course any collector worth his salt will tell you I am crazy thinking money has something to do with it and how much they love the item they are collecting. Hogwash.

The whole point of my post is that you can never predict today what will be worth a lot of money in the future. For example how much was a Bill Cosby autograph worth last year compared to this year? No one could have seen that coming. One thing is for sure. Collectors absolutely never collect anything that says something like "Collectors series" on the product.
 
SeilerBird said:
Yes they did make millions of these records, but about once a year they change the label or the pressings in some minute little way making a small segment of the collector market go nuts for them. To the average sane person there is no difference.
Click to expand...

All hardcore collectors have to check a bit of their sanity at the door, I think lol.

I spent way more than I should have on a comic (it was "only $40, but considering it released at a buck and a half that's a little silly). For an extra ten bucks I can get a print from Kevin Eastman signed shipped directly by the guy (he was one of the TMNT creators). That would have made better sense to a true fan.
 
I used to have a world class Beatles collection that I collected during the 60s but I ended up selling them in the 70s because I could see counterfits coming out and that was destroying the value of some of my records. I remember walking into Tower Records on Sunset Strip in 1970 in Hollywood and seeing a large stack of Introducing the Beatles that was the rare version with Love Me Do on it and the albums were in stereo. It is was released in 1963 and was a flop. When the Beatles hit big in 1964 Love Me Do was replaced with Please Please Me since it was a bigger hit. Absolutely no one bought a stereo Love Me Do in 1963 and left it sealed. Never would have happened. Now I see the counterfeit ones on eBay with dealers asking in the thousands of dollars for these things. I never see one that actually sells but I sure more than one person has bought one thinking they have one of the rarest Beatles albums of all times when all they really have is a fake. No way to warn people so I read the listings and laugh at the stories the dealers come up with trying to prove they are real. If they would open it up it would be obvious since the records are all in mono. But they won't open them, it would destroy the value.
 
I just started to do it about a month ago. For me personally some of them are stunning and I use them for listening to music and sports talk radio. Dang, they all sound pretty darn good!

I am not looking for anything rare, they are great in themselves as far as I am concerned.
 
WAKE UP all you iphone collectors !!! Where ya'll at ?!?!?!?!? Let's keep this thread ALIVE !!!!

LOL, hey all! Life just goes by too dang fast........hope you're all enjoying the ride while it lasts !!!!

I'll holla !!!
 
I have a mint condition 64gb black and slate iPhone 5 signed by Steve Wozniak.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5338.JPG
    IMG_5338.JPG
    632.8 KB · Views: 113
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back