Do you have an old phone, an old game console or an antique computer lying around in a cupboard? Check their prices on the second-hand market: collectors could give you thousands of euros for them!
In the high-tech world, value doesn’t always disappear with age. Sometimes it’s even the opposite! Over time, and with nostalgia, old cell phones and game consoles from yesteryear have seen a resurgence of interest. Certain models are highly sought after by collectors who do not hesitate to spend crazy sums of money to obtain them on the second-hand market, or even at auction. Before getting rid of your old devices lying around in your cupboards and drawers, check that you don’t have treasures lying dormant without your knowledge: certain “relics” that have become cult are worth much more than you imagine!
As for phones, certain models sell for a few tens or hundreds of euros, or even more if they are new, in their original packaging with their accessories. This is the case of the legendary Nokia 3310, famous for its robustness and its addictive snake game, the Motorola Razr V3, an emblematic flip phone released in the 2000s, or the Sony Ericsson W810i, a model with a retro design with an integrated MP3 player.
But others are truly worth fortunes. The first iPhone, launched by Apple in 2007, has become a collector’s item. Some copies sell for 2,000 or 3,000 euros, but the rarest exceed 100,000 euros! The same goes for other rarities, such as the Nokia 8110, 6310i, 6108, 2100, N95, 8800 or 8210 which are worth more than 20,000 euros. Or the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X, the very first mobile phone released in 1983 which sells for the same prices. And let’s not talk about models released in very limited series, such as the Royole FlexPai, the first folding smartphone, Motorola Aura, the BenQ P30, the Samsung Galaxy Round or the Siemens S42, to name just a handful.
We see the same enthusiasm for old game consoles, which benefit from immense nostalgia capital among players: the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System), the emblematic console of the 80s, the SNES (Super NES) which succeeded it, or the Sega Mega Drive. And, if old Nintendo portable consoles (GameBoy, GameBoy Advance, 3DS, etc.) sell for a few dozen euros, some PlayStations sell for almost 1,000 euros when new in their packaging. And prices are soaring on very rare special editions, like the Atari Cosmos or the GameBoy Advance SP Zelda Gold which sell for around 15,000 euros, or the PS3 GTA V edition or the Xbox One Collector Air Jordan, a little less expensive.
Of course, old computers are no exception to this trend. And, here again, prices skyrocket very quickly! Thus, Apple’s first Macintosh, released in 1984, the “128k”, sells for several thousand euros in working condition. And its ancestor, the Lisa released discreetly shortly before, is worth even more! The same goes for the Atari ST, its more popular competitor, available in different versions (520ST, 1040ST, 1040STe…), which sells for the same prices, especially when it is accompanied by its original screen. And its successors, the TT and the Faclon, released in the early 90s are worth even more! Let’s add to this list the famous Commodore computers, notably the Amiga 1000, 2000 and 4000, also very popular. Without forgetting great rarities, like the IBM PC 5150, the very first PC from 1981, or the NeXT Cube, the computer designed by Steve Jobs after his departure from Apple, which are worth fortunes.
The prices of all these old electronics obviously vary depending on their condition, rarity and demand. So, before disposing of your old phones or consoles in a landfill, consider their potential value to collectors and take a look at sites like eBay to assess their rating. Who knows, that old Nokia or that dusty console might be worth more than you think!