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 | ||
| £50-£2000 | 2 | Apple iPhone 2G | The first iPhone | |
| £1500-£2000 | 2 | Motorola DynaTAC 8000X | The first hand portable mobile phone | |
| £50-£2000 | 2 | Nokia 8800 | Depends on finish | |
| £50-£200 | 2 | Motorola 8000S | Cheaper version of the 8000X | |
| £100-£200 | 1 | Mobira Talkman transportable | Very early transportable | |
| £50-£150 | 3 | Nokia 9000 Communicator | Original Nokia Communicator | |
| £50-£200 | 3 | Motorola 3200/3300 | The only GSM brick phone | |
| £20-£150 | 3 | Motorola StarTAC 130 | Premier StarTAC phone | |
| £40-£200 | 4 | Nokia 8810 | Rising star! - Ultra cool business phone | |
| £50-£200 | 4 | Nokia 8850/8890 | Rising star! - Ultra cool business phone | |
| £100-£250 | 2/3 | Nokia 7280 | The 'lipstick' phone | |
| £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 | |
| £50-£150 | 3 | Motorola StarTAC | Other StarTAC phones | |
| £20-£60 | 4 | Nokia 8110 | The Matrix phone | |
| £10-£75 | 4 | Nokia 7110 | The second Matrix phone | |
| £30-£200 | 4 | Motorola 8500X | UK market analogue brick phone | |
| £15-£80 | 5 | Nokia 8210 | Ultra cool phone from 1999, a modern classic | |
| £5-£100 | 5 | Nokia 5110 | Top fashion phone from the 90s | |
| £5-£100 | 5 | Nokia 3210 | The phone that started teenage mobile culture | |
| £10-£50 | 5 | Nokia 3310 | A collectors' must have. Everyone had one of these |
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.
