Retro Phones Are Selling For Ridiculously High Prices – And These Ones Have The Most Demand

If you have any old phones lying around at home, you might be able to make some money off them.  

This week, a bidder paid $39,000 (£34,700) for an unopened first-generation iPhone.

According to the website, the original iPhone model is selling for an average of £542.55 on eBay, while the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X gives you an average price of £1,776.01.

Research has shown that UK households have an estimated 527 million extra electrical items. Most of them are mobile phones.

DynaTAC is being sold at the most profit. The HTC Touch Diamond2 follows it

. It made £542.90 from just one sale this year. After that, in line, comes the original iPhone model, referred to unofficially as the ‘iPhone 1’ or ‘iPhone 2G’, which sells for an average price of £542.55.

In the last year, sellers have collectively made £33,100 from the sales of 61 handsets.

The top six are the iPhone 3G, Motorola RAZR2, and Motorola Microtac 9800X, which sell for an average of £308.68, £239.25, and £239.36 respectively.

17 of the top 20 most sought devices are Nokias. Their traditional keypad is a point of attraction for vintage phone collectors.

This trend is the same for the top 20 highest-grossing mobiles, as 15 of these were also Nokia handsets.

The Nokia 6310i from 2002 is also the highest grossing, as their sales raked in £68,517 in just 12 months.

The second top-grossing phone is the Nokia 2100, making £39,777 between May 2021 and May 2022, and the third is the BlackBerry Bold with £37,903.

James Brown, Director at Protect Your Bubble, said: ‘After 40 years of mobile phones, it’s interesting to see which old handsets Brits are willing to pay good money for. If you have any old phones lying about, while the UK cost of living continues to rise – now could be the time to abandon nostalgia and get selling. But remember the better condition, the more profitable it will be. Take good care of it with a protective case or cover, clean it regularly, and keep software up to date.’