Top 15 Most Valuable Vintage Mobile Phones

Like your first car or first kiss, chances are you remember your first mobile phone! Since being released to the public nearly 40 years ago these handheld communication devices have come to dominate our daily life. Indeed, for many of us a day without our trusted phone is simply unimaginable. 

With mobile phones dominating so much of our lifestyle, it is hardly surprising that more and more people are starting to look back at the myriad of fascinating and important mobile phone designs from the past and beginning to collect them in earnest. As interest grows so too does value over the long term, so those old phones you have hidden away at home may already be worth much more than you think! 

A VERY brief overview…… 

For anyone thinking of collecting phones, it helps to understand a little about how they work and why certain models are considered desirable. While in the UK we chose to call them ‘Mobile Phones’, the US term ‘Cell Phone’ is actually a much better description for how these devices work. The leap in technology came towards the end of the 1970s when engineers worked out how to set up lots of small receiving masts in an area to create a network of interconnected cells (just like a honeycomb). This network would allow a not very powerful radio signal from a phone to be picked up by that cell and efficiently carried to a similar phone in another cell. Of course, the clever bit was as you physically moved around your connection just switched to whichever new cell you entered creating a very scalable network and giving you the ability to chat with your friend for hours on the train without the call ever dropping. 

The first handheld mobile phone coincided with the opening of the first large scale mobile networks in 1983 and was called the Motorola Dynatac 8000x. This is the phone everyone automatically thinks of when they think of old brick phones, but actually the first mobile network tests took place in Japan in 1979 followed by a larger network in the Nordic Countries in 1981. These networks used modified car phones rather than handheld devices and can also be quite desirable and valuable to collectors; we're sure they'll be considered 'Antech' before we know it.

The Technophone PC105T of 1986 was the world’s 1st pocket-sized phone.

15 of the Most Valuable Vintage Mobile Phones 

Although your battered old first phone might be highly sentimental to you, if it was a very good seller at the time chances are there are still a lot of examples around so may not be worth much money yet - perhaps save it for the Display Cabinet at home for now! As a collector it is vital to begin learning about those phones which are most prized among fellow enthusiasts and why. Sometimes they were the first, or the design was unusual, or they became associated with iconic movies, or they were made from luxury materials. Whatever the reason it is those phones which will prove to be the best financial investments over the long term. Below are 15 highly collectable Mobile phones and their current value range. This is by no means a complete list, but just a starting point for you to begin your own research. The price range given for each reflects the difference between a single slightly battered phone on its own, compared to one in very good condition complete in its box.

1) Pre-production Prototype iphone 1- £10,000 +

The Apple iphone of 2007 was a major milestone in phone design and concept. While a ‘New in Box’ 2g iphone might itself be worth £2,000 currently, if you are fortunate enough to have a pre-production prototype of that phone then you are indeed a very lucky person! Prices vary considerably but in online auctions genuine examples have been known to make more than £30,000 before. However, beware there are lots of standard iphones with prototype software installed being passed off as the real thing.

(cc By Redrum0486 – via Wikipedia)

2) Motorola 8000x- £800-£3500 

First released in 1983 this was the world’s first handheld mobile phone. These were often branded to different companies (such as BT) and are not always labelled on the front so it is worth learning how to spot this collectable classic.

3) Nokia 7700 - £1000-£2000

This unusual-shaped phone was designed by Nokia in 2003 but never went into production so only pre-production prototypes are found today. Had it been released it would have been a contender for the 1st smartphone in the world but instead is now a coveted collectable.

4) Mobira Senator NMT- £800- £2000

These ‘portable’ car phones from 1981 were used on the Nordic cellular system so predate the Motorola 8000x.

5) IBM Simon Personal Communicator- £800-£2000

Released in 1994 the Simon is widely considered the grandfather of the Smartphone. Expensive when new they never sold very many.

6) Nokia Sapphire 8800 - £500-£2000

Produced by Nokia in 2005 as a luxury phone there were several variations including one with 24ct gold plating.

7) Technophone PC105T - £600-£1500

Released in 1986 this was the world’s first pocket-sized mobile phone. 

8) Orbitel Citiphone- £600-£1000

A classic brick phone from 1987 which rarely turns up now.

9) Ericsson R290 Satellite Phone - £300- £1000

Released in 1999 this was one of the first satellite phones making it possible to call your Grandma from even the most inaccessible places in the world.

10) Rainbow StarTAC - £100- £400

Motorola released the StarTAC range in 1986 and was one of the first clamshell design phones. A multi-coloured version (sometimes referred to as the United Colours of Benetton phone) was released in limited numbers and is a great example of an early fashion phone. 

11) Nokia Mobira Cityman - £100- £400

Another classic example of an early brick phone which was popular among business people. Released in 1987.

12) Nokia 8110 - £150-£300

This ‘banana’ shaped phone from 1996 will forever be associated with The Matrix film (1999) and as such has a cult following among collectors. 

13) Nokia 7600 - £100-£300

In the early 2000s phone manufacturers decided to go crazy with phone designs including this one from 2003. Collectable today due to its radical and strange design. There were even more unusual phone designs created as well which are just as sought after.

14) Nokia 9000 Communicator- £80-£300

Released in 1996 this heavy phone incorporated a full qwerty keyboard making it one of the earliest smartphones on the market. 

15) Vertu Phones- £50+

The Vertu company were set up in the early 2000s to cater to the very high-end luxury phone market. Their most expensive phones sold for many tens of thousands of pounds and would be made of precious metals or even diamond encrusted. Today the most basic Vertu phones can be picked up for as little as £50, but in the future Vertu’s unique top-end phones will undoubtedly be worth considerable sums of money again to collectors. 

Top Tips for collecting old Cell Phones

Since old mobile phones are common you can find interesting examples all over the place and many people still don’t realise they have any worth. Below are a few top tips to get you started…..

• Mobile Phones by their nature are easily damaged during use so like all collectables, condition matters. The closer the phone is to new and unused condition the greater the potential value. Original boxes, paperwork and accessories all add to the price and sealed New-Old-Stock is the most desirable. If the box is open, check that the IMEI number on the phone and box match each other and even that the model of phone matches. People regularly put phones back in the wrong box by mistake.
• Iconic status and technological milestones rather than pure age is more important to determining overall value. Don’t forget newer phones will have been released in many more numbers than early phones. Apple sold 3.7 million of their original 2007 iphone, so unless yours is special or still factory sealed, chances are it won’t go up in value much in the future.
• Old batteries often do not work. It is very common for old mobile phone batteries to have stopped working making it difficult to check If the phone itself works or not. Although a working phone is naturally a bonus, on earlier phones a dead battery is acceptable.
• Most countries turned off their analogue (1G) networks just after the Millennium. As of 2021 Russia is the only place left in the world with a very limited 1G network still in use. Therefore, if your vintage mobile phone was made before the millennium, chances are it will no longer work even if everything turns on fine. Instead, just enjoy having a cool looking paperweight!
• Many phone manufacturers produced special limited-edition phones to celebrate events, celebrities or famous companies. These phones are usually more valuable than the regular production model. Most manufacturers also produced a range of colours which were more or less popular at the time. An unusual colour is naturally rarer than standard black.
• If buying or selling phones via the internet most postal carriers do not allow you to ship the battery (or have strict rules about their shipping). Therefore, find out the requirements for each carrier so you are not disappointed later.
• If you are thinking of plugging in an old phone, ensure you get someone to professionally check the condition of the cord and charger first to ensure they are still safe to use. As with any old devices the wires and connections can deteriorate easily. If in doubt, new replacement chargers can often be purchased.
• The Motorola 8000x of 1983 is a very sought-after phone today among collectors. However, although Motorola created new models for 10 more years (for example 8000s, 8000m, 8500x etc) they did not alter the design of the case and often did not write the model number on the case either. Therefore, it is worth learning the very subtle differences between these various models as prices can be dramatically different.

………...Happy Vintage Mobile Phone Hunting!!

Of course if you're not yet ready to start an 'Antech' collection, you can simply continue or start collecting slightly older collectables that can be found on LoveAntiques.com such as Antique Silver, Furniture & Jewellery.

Disclaimer:

Due to recent reports suggesting that LoveAntiques.com will buy old mobile phones, we would like to clarify that this is not the case, nor have we ever communicated it to be. This blog post is simply to illustrate how much the mobile phones listed could be worth if sold, and to provide some tips on how to collect old mobile phones.