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The fascination for old electronics products are a bit strange. A brand new iMac might cost you about $1,200, however, getting your hands on an original Apple I might cost as much as $365,000. Similar to the car market, the most valuable and expensive consumer electronics products tend to be either brand new or ridiculously old. Many people are willing to spend top dollars in the interest of nostalgia.
Although the original Apple I computers are extremely hard to come by, you can probably still make a pretty penny if you happen to still have an old iPod. Since entering the music player business almost 15 years ago, Apple has released 25 different iPod models. Do you have a few iPods lying around? You might want to see if they’re worth something.
According to The Guardian, iPods from the early 2000s are becoming the latest collectible items:
A factory-sealed third-generation iPod shuffle? $999.95. Mint condition fifth-generation iPod classic, in white? $1,394.99. A silver first-generation iPod mini? Yours for $2,499.99.
But these are on the low end of the price scale. If you have a special edition, especially if it’s still in its original packaging, you could be looking at much more: Apple’s fourth-generation red-and-black special edition released in partnership with the band U2 are trading for around $7,000, used.
And that’s before you get to the real collectors’ items. A first generation iPod classic – “battery is really good for its age” – is on sale priced at $9,999.99. A second-generation, still-boxed iPod classic – that’s the last version that had the moving wheel – is currently listed for an extraordinary $19,999.99.
Michael Freedman from Israel is building a collection for sale. He owns every type of iPod ever made, from the first generation Nano and Shuffle to the third-generation classic, all with original packaging.
“I hold them because I wanted to own something special,” he said. He’s now looking to sell them: “I think the most value is in the collection itself. Each iPod you can buy here and there, but all of them together is really something special.”