If you’ve been a mobile phone user for the past few decades, you’ve probably grazed several brands and models.
And maybe an old handset is collecting dust in a box in your home? Then you may actually have a potential treasure in your possession.
– So far, the market appears to be the largest in the United States, but it will certainly grow here. Old phones, which hardly anyone uses today, have started to become viable at auction and there are a lot of different models to choose from, says Andreas Siesing who is superintendent at the Auctionet, to News24.
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Early iPhone models can be valuable
Some real classics, which you may have kept, are for example the Ericsson T28, Nokia E90 and Nokia 3310. But they are not the most valuable at auction, says Siesing.
– It is usually a matter of hundreds of dollars. Possibly a few thousand if they are in good condition, complete and in the original box, he tells Nyheter24.
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Ericsson’s then CEO Sven-Christer Nilsson shows off the T28 model. Photo: Gunnar Ask/TT
Instead, it is early models from the iPhone that, according to Siesing, “have taken a special position” and have become particularly sought after in recent years.
– There, unopened copies of the iPhone 1 have been sold for hundreds of thousands of kroner recently. Even the iPhone 2 has been sold expensively.
In fact, an iPhone, which was of the 4GB model that was only produced by the company for two months, was sold for close to two million kroner during an American auction in 2023, which among other things TV4 reported on then.
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Steve Jobs with one of the earliest iPhone models. Photo: Paul Sakuma/AP/TT”Condition is of utmost importance”
A prerequisite for your old mobile phone to be clubbed at a high price is, of course, how well preserved it is.
– Just like with all collector’s items, the condition is of the utmost importance, but also that the original packaging is included, if you want to get really high quotes. Preferably completely unopened to reach the highest prices, says Andreas Siesing and continues:
– It hasn’t been that many years yet, and when it comes to technical gadgets, it’s not unusual for the boxes to be preserved. On the other hand, in 20-30 years, when it may start to be really difficult to get hold of copies in original packaging, then these may become significantly more important.
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