Five old mobile phones worth a (small) fortune

To be technically up-to-date, we spend hundreds of francs on the latest smartphones. Maybe we should see if we can use one of our old cell phones to pay for the new one? In fact, first-generation mobile phone devices can have a huge collector’s value, especially if they are still in their original packaging. We researched Ebay and compiled the top 5 most valuable mobile phones.

1st Place: Motorola DynaTAC 8000x

Owners of the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x won the lottery. The first commercially available cell phone came out in 1983 and cost about $4,000. It weighed one kilo and was 33 centimeters long, not for your pocket. Today, the device can fetch up to 80,000 francs if it’s in very good condition – and, of course, if you find an interested buyer.

In Switzerland you can bid on Ebay from just over 83,000 francs on a Motorola DynaTAC 8000x (built in 1983) with original manual, bag and charger. Anyone who deposits CHF 118,000 can buy it immediately. According to Ebay, no offer has yet been received.

2nd place: iPhone

When Apple released the first iPhone in 2007, it marked the beginning of a new smart era. From now on, it was no longer just about calling or texting. You basically had a small computer in your pocket, which was easy to use with apps.

The iPhone 2G is nowadays technically almost unusable. Still, collectors pay a lot of money for a first-generation iPhone. The value strongly depends on the condition of the device. A used iPhone 2G costs about 150 euros. Smartphones that are unused or even in their original packaging can fetch up to CHF 2,000. One of them is currently being sold on Ebay for just under 4,000 francs.

3rd place: Nokia 8110

The Nokia 8110 came out in 1996 and was cleverly touted in 1999 by the cult movie “Matrix” and became world famous. The protective cover for the keyboard can be slid open. Because the Nokia 8110 was curved, it was also called the ‘matrix banana’. At the time, customers had to pay just under 1,000 francs for the device.

Did you have one in the 90s? This could now pay off, as models still in their original packaging can fetch up to three times the original retail price. However, if the mobile phone is used, the price drops significantly, then a maximum of 100 francs remains.

4th place: Nokia 8800

Phones from the Finnish manufacturer Nokia were an absolute cult in the nineties and at the beginning of this millennium. Then Apple came out with the first smartphone and heralded the demise of the mobile phone manufacturer. What appeared on Nokia phones until then can be valuable today. Like the Nokia 8800, for example. It came on the market in 2005 and was seen as a luxury mobile phone because of the scratch-resistant screen and the stylish sliding mechanism of the protective cover.

Even today, used devices still change hands on Ebay for 120 to 200 francs. If, on the other hand, the mobile phone is completely unused at home, it can yield up to 800 francs. The Nokia 8800 is also available in an Arte Carbon and a Sirocco version, which are now worth a lot of money. Sellers on Ebay are currently trading these issues for around 1,200 francs.

5th place: Motorola 3200

And this old Motorola bot still has its fans: it is the successor to the Motorola DynaTAC 8000x and was launched some ten years later. The 3200 weighs only half as much as the mobile phone’s forefather, but is just as clumsy. Prices for the device are around 100 francs. If the original packaging is still present, auctioneers and sellers sometimes ask prices of 300 to 800 francs.

(t online)

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