Retro mobile phones are on the rise as unique collectibles, say experts.
Old-style 'brick' mobile phones are becoming more and more sought-after; and experts believe they could become highly valuable in the future.
Collectors should bear in mind that mobile phones considered the 'most innovative' for their time are likely to appreciate the most in future years.
![]() The Motorola DynaTAC 8000X in tan and grey |
Katherine Higgins, an expert with the BBC's Antiques Roadshow, believes that future generations will bring their mobile phones onto the popular antiques TV programme, when they are regarded as historic pieces of technology.
"Those with some kind of design innovation, such as the early 'flip' phones or the Nokia 9000 - the first with a flip-out keyboard - will be most valuable," Higgins told British tabloid newspaper, The Sun.
"If I am still on the Antiques Roadshow in 30 years' time, I expect to see people bringing me their mobile phones."
![]() Or you can have the DynaTAC 8000X in black |
This certainly isn't a new trend in collectibles: Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry's Apple Macintosh computer - the first of its kind: serial number 0001 - was auctioned in New York, last year.
Roddenberry's Mac smashed estimates of around $1,000, eventually selling for $8,260.
With collectibles dealers already buying and selling the phones online, and values set to rise, nostalgia for these rare and 'antique' phones is set to grow.
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Images: Retro Brick