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

L

lambo

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 6, 2008
134
12
FL
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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More iphones come out. You value goes down...
Unless you can find some idiot who thinks original iphone would be freaking awesome for his/her collection, the value will go down. With AT&T trying to move to 3G/4G network, 2G iphone is not really considered as good value anymore.
 
seanwebb68 said:
You will have to wait a while or maybe pass it down through you family but one day it will be worth alot of money as its the first iPhone apple made and things like that become very valuable to collectors
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For sure it will worth money some day, like any piece of old technology, Last year one of the 50 knowns Apple Is still on existence sold for $50K and it was used. make sure you keep it safe and away from moist, water and dust.

You will have to keep it for a long time, but the iPhone was as very important piece of tech when it was introduce, it will be very significant one day.
 
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seanwebb68 said:
You will have to wait a while or maybe pass it down through you family but one day it will be worth alot of money as its the first iPhone apple made and things like that become very valuable to collectors
Click to expand...

i agree. it may be a ways down the rod, years, a couple decades even. But an original iPhone in the box?. I think it totally worth it to hold on to it than the maybe couple hundred bucks you could get for it now.
 
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It should increase in value, but it depends on how rare it is and the actual demand for it.

The sealed copy of Stadium Events for the NES sold for $41K because how rare it was. Anything made under 1,000 can draw demand. I don't think the iPhone 2G is really that rare especially with the expansion of hobby collecting and auction sites. The iPhone 2G sold millions and millions. The problem with cell phones is it lacks the "retro" hobbyists like the retro gamers in video games. Cell phones keep evolving. Nobody looks back to the past. Nobody is running out to buy Motorola Startac phones from over a decade ago. Our phones just end up getting recycled. People want the latest and greatest in the cell phone market.

But keep it anyway. It will take some time. Just don't expect tens of thousands. Remember, its actual value is only worth what the buyer is willing to pay you.
 
Well, I suppose that its value might skyrocket once humanity runs out of rare earth metals and other materials needed to make modern computer equipment--it will be worth something in parts. But you won't live that long and neither will I. Old computer equipment dies hard in terms of long-term resale value and only the rarest of the rare products will ever gain value to somebody as a 'collectible.' Millions of original iPhones were made, so it is unlikely to fall into the rare category.

Sell it while it is still a decent phone, or sell it to an iPhone parts supplier.
 
Mint, sealed in box!.... It will be worth at least $100,000 to a collector in about 100 years. You should wait and collect then! :rolleyes:

Mark
 
Things usually appreciate over time. So yes in a couple hundred year if you keep handing it down it will most likely be worth a lot.
 
maturola said:
For sure it will worth money some day, like any piece of old technology, Last year one of the 50 knowns Apple Is still on existence sold for $50K and it was used. make sure you keep it safe and away from moist, water and dust.

You will have to keep it for a long time, but the iPhone was as very important piece of tech when it was introduce, it will be very significant one day.
Click to expand...
The key here is how RARE it was and the actual demand for it.

Since the OP has this iPhone factory sealed, that is the best way to start because MOST people will open the box.

Here is some perspective -

FIRST GENERATION IPOD (5GB) (INTRODUCED IN 2001)

It was first priced at $399! Wow, for a 5GB? Now it can be sold for $200 more brand new 9 years later.

The iPhone reminds me of the basketball cards and baseball cards I collected back in the day. After 15-20 years later, many of my cards hasn't really increased in value because those cards weren't "limited editions" to begin with. Some actually got worse in value. I am talking about the biggest names here like Michael Jordan. It really all depends in how rare it is and how much people are desperate to pay for it. The cell phone users aren't about nostalgia like gamers who can spend at least 5 YEARS with a video game console. Cell phone market is more fickle and always about moving forward...
 
Why do you even have a 2G sealed? Im not sure, a lot of times electronics go down in value over the years. But sealed, i think you should wait.
 
Savor said:
The key here is how RARE it was and the actual demand for it.

Since the OP has this iPhone factory sealed, that is the best way to start because MOST people will open the box.

Here is some perspective -

FIRST GENERATION IPOD (5GB) (INTRODUCED IN 2001)

It was first priced at $399! Wow, for a 5GB? Now it can be sold for $200 more brand new 9 years later.
Click to expand...

First Gen iPod is a prime example. Keep that box sealed and sit on it for a few more years. It will be worth something to a collector one day. I myself wanted a mint condition first gen ipod but the prices were way too hight.
 
If you sell it now, you'd get a few hundred dollars. For most, that's like a few days of work. If you keep it, I'm pretty sure it would be worth a lot. I would probably pay more for a 2G than any other model since it's very rare now a days and I think it looks the best out of all the iPhones and is the most durable. Also, the original iPhone was only available in 6 countries!
 
Savor said:
Makes you wonder if you do sell a sealed 2G iPhone decades later, will the battery be worse or even dead by the time the buyer opens the box?

Like sitting on a golden egg that won't hatch.
Click to expand...

It could even be DOA when it was new, but a collector paying a premium for a sealed box will keep it sealed. There are millions of opened original iPhones that can be gotten.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! Right now I actually have it safely kept in a security box with a bank. I do suppose I'll hold on to it for many, many years. I don't need any money right now.
 
Well, it obviously will stop working as a phone eventually, when AT&T shuts off their EDGE network in, oh, 10-15 years.

As a collectible I'm sure someone will pay $1500+ for it in 10-15 years.
 
Am I the only one who would like to know why the OP has a sealed iPhone 2G in the first place? :D
 
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