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Brad Tuttle is a senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals.
The outdated tech collecting dust in your closet could very well be worth big bucks. Like rare VHS tapes and old computers, vintage iPods are now considered highly prized collectibles.
What's surprising is that while Apple's MP3 players have undoubtedly been enormously influential in shaping the music industry, they're not that old. The first one hit the market in 2001—selling for a whopping $399, or double the price of today's iPod Touch.
Nonetheless, vintage iPods have joined baseball cards and Star Wars memorabilia on the list of nostalgic items that collectors will pay surprisingly large sums to buy. Yes, in today's speeded-up world, clunky tech devices that are only 12 or 15 years old can already get people feeling nostalgia, to the point that they'll fork over big money to feel like they're back in 2004 or whenever.
The Guardian recently scoured eBay for Apple collectibles, and found listings including: a factory-sealed third-generation iPod Shuffle for $1,000; a silver first-gen iPod mini for $2,500; a first-gen iPod for $10,000; and a never-opened second-gen iPod for $20,000. As you'd guess, the condition and rarity of the device can have a big influence on its value. It'll be worth more if you have the original packaging as well.
Granted, the figures mentioned above are just asking prices, and they might not sell for that much. But it appears as if the collectability of Apple tech and paraphernalia is no passing fad. Heck, even just an iPod brochure circa 2011—with no device or electronica whatsoever—now has an asking price of $49.99.
Jim GoldenMotorola Cellular One DynaTAC 8000x. 1984 List Price: $3,995, per TIME. Today's equivalent: Apple iPhone 6 Plus, from $299 at the Apple Store. Jim GoldenSCM Smith-Corona, Coronet Super 12 Typewriter. 1976 List price: $160, per Consumers' Research Handbook of Buying. Today's equivalent: Apple MacBook Air. List Price: Starting at $899, available at The Apple Store. Jim GoldenSony High Destiny MFD-2HD 3.5" 2 MB Floppy Disk. 1986 Bulk List Price: $1.72 each for 20+ at MacWare per InfoWorld. Today's equivalent: Sony 2X 4.7 GB DVD-RW Disc. List Price $18.99 for 10-pack, available for $13.18 on Amazon.com. Jim GoldenIBM Fujifilm Zip Disk 100MB. 1997 List Price: $74.95 for five, per PC Mag. Today's equivalent: SanDisk Ultra USB 3.0 Flash Drive 32 GB. List Price: $49.99, available for $18.50 on Amazon.com. Jim GoldenVerbatim FD 34-2000 8" Flexible Disc. 1981 List Price: $66 for 10-pack, per Radio Electronics Magazine. Today's equivalent: Verbatim CD-R/W Media 700 MB. List Price: $13.92 for 10-pack in jewel cases, per Amazon.com. Jim GoldenKodak 35mm slide caddy. List Price of similar 1951 slide case by Barnett & Jaffe Model SV-3N: $11.25, per Popular Photography. Today's equivalent: Phase One Media Pro. List Price: $445, available on PhaseOne.com. Jim GoldenKodak Ektagraphic Slide Projector, Model B-2. 1982 List Price: $169, per Popular Photography. Today's equivalent: MS PowerPoint, part of Microsoft Office 365 Personal. List Price: $69.99, available at Best Buy. Jim GoldenBell & Howell Autoload Design 346A Super 8 projector. In 1965, Bell & Howell offered four projector models priced at $95 to $215, per the New York Times. Today's equivalent: Epson EX5220 Wireless XGA 3LCD Projector. List price $549.99, available for $490.18 on Amazon.com. Jim GoldenVHS Pattern. TDK VHS Super Avilyn. 1979 List Price: $17.99, per Billboard. Today's equivalent: TDK BD-R 6x 25 GB Write-Once Blu-ray Disc . Price: $29.24 for 50-pack at B&H. Jim Golden45RPM Vinyl Records, including Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Sometimes in Winter." 1968 List Price of the average LP: $5-6, per Ebony. Today's equivalent: MP3. List Price of Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Sometimes in Winter" MP3: $0.99, available on iTunes Music Store. Jim Golden8 Track Collection, including Simon & Garfunkel's "Greatest Hits." 1972 List Price of "Greatest Hits": $6.95, per New York Magazine. Today's equivalent: MP3. List Price of Simon & Garfunkel's "Greatest Hits" album: $10.99, available on iTunes. Jim GoldenBoomBox Collection. List Price of 1982 Sanyo model M9901: $80, List Price of 1982 Sony model CFS-45: $140, per Kiplinger's Personal Finance. Today's equivalent: iPod Touch 16 GB pocket-size media player (List Price: $199) available online at the Apple Store and Big JAMBOX Wireless Speaker by Jawbone (List Price: $299.95). Jim Golden8-Bit Videogame Collection, including the Nintendo NES. List Price of 1985 Nintendo NES Control Deck: $199, per BusinessWeek. Today's equivalent: Xbox 360 500GB Holiday Bundle. List Price $249.99, on Xbox.com OR PlayStation 4 Destiny Bundle. List Price $449, available on Amazon.com. Jim GoldenCamera Collection. 1950 List Price of Rolleiflex: $275, per Popular Photography. Today's equivalent: Canon EOS 5D Mark III. List Price: $3,399, available at Canon U.S.A. Jim Golden
What's more, the idea that people will pay seemingly insane prices for certain old iPod models is not new. Back in late 2014, not long after Apple discontinued the iPod Classic, there were reports of sealed, first-generation iPods selling for $20,000—and one rare model sold for $90,000.
And if you were wondering: Sure enough, old iPhones can also be quite valuable. Check out this eBay listing for a factory-sealed first-generation iPhone, with an asking price of $18,000.
