5 Tips for Collecting Vintage Mobile Phones

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(Free-Press-Release.com) February 8, 2011 -- Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom - As mobile digital devices and gadgets become even more pervasive in our daily lives, the importance and the value of the ancestors of today’s “it” gadgets become even more significant. One hobby that’s quickly catching on is the appreciation of vintage mobile phones. (http://www.vintagemobilephones.org)

Before we had mobile phones that fit the palm of our hand, that can surf the web, take pictures, play music and read emails, we had the brick phones that were huge and heavy, that came with a separate transceiver and battery, took hours to charge, and had less than an hour of talk time. These were the first mobile gadgets that paved the way for many of the mobile devices we enjoy today.

Collecting vintage mobile phones has become a hobby for many people. Today, you can still find old Motorola DynaTAC phones or Mobira Cityman phones being sold as collector’s items for a fraction of what they cost when they were first released.

If you are planning on starting your small vintage mobile phone collection, here are some tips from VintageMobilePhones.org to help you get started:

(1) Collect the models and the styles that you personally love. While many people go into collecting to find rare pieces or as a form of investment, the first rule of collecting is always to collect things that you love. The more passionate you are about something, the more likely you are to succeed in it.

(2) Research, research, research. Having the right information is crucial in collecting. You want to be able to learn as much as you can about the model of the phone you plan to acquire, the company that produced it, and the conditions at which it was released in the market. Many of the really old phones are no longer useful because the network they operate on are no longer available. But you want to still be able to know if a unit is in good order. A vintage piece that is in great shape and in its original box is obviously going to worth more. Likewise, a unit that was produced in limited quantities is rarer and will fetch a better price.

(3) Keep a record. When building a collection, it is important to keep a good record of your collection. A record is useful when you want to assess how much you’ve invested in your collection. Or when you’re selling your collection, you want to be able to show notes about each item and why they’re valuable or how you know they are genuine. There are many ways to keep notes and depending on the item that you are collecting, you may want to catalog certain information. With mobile phones, you want to have photos of the phone, the year it was released, the model, the maker, dimensions, weight, any significant or notable achievement of the item (for example, you want to note down if it was the first flip phone ever manufactured, or the last model released by a particular company.)

(4) Proper storage. When collecting vintage mobile phones, or anything for that matter, you need to think about how to protect your collection from wear and tear by storing them properly. For a mobile phone, you want to keep it in a box, and store it in a place where water and humidity cannot touch it and where it is protected from pests and insects. You don’t want to open it one day and see molds and corrosion on your precious collectible.

(5) Network with other collectors. The joy of collecting is being able to share your collection with people who can appreciate it. Join clubs and network with other people who are into vintage mobile phone collecting. It’s a great way to know more about where to find the best deals, and what other phones there are that you can collect.

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