Vintage mobile phones - price and rarity guide
Updated with the latest results from eBay - January 2020
How much is that old mobile phone sitting in your drawer worth? What should you pay for a classic phone on eBay?
| Value | Rarity | Phone | Reason why | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mobira Senator 1981 model | The first Nokia phone ever | Mobira phones on eBay | |
| £50-£2000 | 2 | Apple iPhone 2G | The first iPhone | Apple iPhone 2G on eBay |
| £1500-£2000 | 2 | Motorola DynaTAC 8000X | The first hand portable mobile phone | Motorola brick phones on eBay |
| £50-£2000 | 2 | Nokia 8800 | Depends on finish | Nokia 8800 phones on eBay |
| £50-£200 | 2 | Motorola 8000S | Cheaper version of the 8000X | Motorola brick phones on eBay |
| £100-£200 | 1 | Mobira Talkman transportable | Very early transportable | Mobira Talkman on eBay |
| £50-£150 | 3 | Nokia 9000 Communicator | Original Nokia Communicator | Nokia 9000 Communicator on eBay |
| £50-£200 | 3 | Motorola 3200/3300 | The only GSM brick phone | Motorola 3200/3300 on eBay |
| £20-£150 | 3 | Motorola StarTAC 130 | Premier StarTAC phone | Motorola StarTAC on eBay |
| £40-£200 | 4 | Nokia 8810 | Rising star! - Ultra cool business phone | Nokia 8810 on eBay |
| £50-£200 | 4 | Nokia 8850/8890 | Rising star! - Ultra cool business phone | Nokia 8850/8890 on eBay |
| £100-£250 | 2/3 | Nokia 7280 | The 'lipstick' phone | Nokia 7280 on eBay |
| £2000 | 1 | Motorola 9800x | First flip phone with red LEDs | |
| No recent sales | 1 | Nokia 1011 | Nokia's first GSM phone | |
| £40-£150 | 2 | Nokia Cityman 1320 | Nokia's first hand portable | Nokia Cityman on eBay |
| £50-£150 | 3 | Motorola StarTAC | Other StarTAC phones | Motorola StarTAC on eBay |
| £20-£60 | 4 | Nokia 8110 | The Matrix phone | Nokia 8110 on eBay |
| £10-£75 | 4 | Nokia 7110 | The second Matrix phone | Nokia 7110 on eBay |
| £30-£200 | 4 | Motorola 8500X | UK market analogue brick phone | Motorola 8500X on eBay |
| £15-£80 | 5 | Nokia 8210 | Ultra cool phone from 1999, a modern classic | Nokia 8210 on eBay |
| £5-£100 | 5 | Nokia 5110 | Top fashion phone from the 90s | Nokia 5110 on eBay |
| £5-£100 | 5 | Nokia 3210 | The phone that started teenage mobile culture | Nokia 3210 on eBay |
| £10-£50 | 5 | Nokia 3310 | A collectors' must have. Everyone had one of these | Nokia 3310 on eBay |
How to use this guide
This guide is about how much you should pay for classic phones on eBay and other web sites. Study the rarity guide as well as the value guide. Phones that are more common are more likely to come up again.
The rarest phones are the ones most likely to increase in value.
Rarity guide
- 1 = Very rare. Almost never seen on eBay
- 2 = Rare. Will be 1 to 3 sold on eBay each month
- 3 = Scarce. Expect to see a few on eBay each week.
- 4 = Reasonably common. Always examples on eBay.
- 5 = Common. Many examples on eBay all the time.
Notes
These values are a guide only. I have based them on the following assumptions:
- Phones are in good condition and free from major faults. Some signs or wear are expected. Mint condition examples are worth more.
- GSM phones are assumed to be working.
