First-Generation iPod sold for shocking $29,000

An iPod forgotten in time, was rediscovered and sold in original packaging. Complete ownership was purchased for a sum of $29,000 after shares were accumulated by a determined buyer.

For many Millenials and Zoomers who became avid music listeners through the iPod revolution, such advances marked the beginning of a never-ending obsession with music collection and listening. Some fans may even hold tightly to what others may see as a relic of the past but holds great sentimentality for those who grew up with the ability to search through vast libraries of genres and artists with the quick scroll of what at the time was a revolutionary scroll wheel. Those who still cling to these fragments of their musical lives may be interested to hear a recent story that shows just how much these aged technologies could net fans who are not so closely attached to their musical technology.

It was recently reported that an original, unopened 2001 Apple iPod has recently been purchased for a very lucrative $29,000. Though the sale of the music machine is not what most readers may be expecting. The iPod in question was purchased in Plano, Texas as a Christmas present for a boy (a teenager at the time) from his parents for the iPod’s first sale price of $399 back in 2001. Unsure of just how to utilize the technology at the time of its gifting, the gift was set aside. Unfortunately, for the teen at the time, but rather fortunate for the man now, the iPod was left in its original packaging and left in its gift bag to be forgotten on the boy’s shelf. Fast forward some 22 years later, upon the passing of the man’s deceased father, the grown teenage boy rediscovered his unopened Christmas gift from decades passed. Wondering what the man could sell the iPod for, he was connected with Rally, a platform used in spreading shared ownership of unique products and goods such as tech memorabilia such as the man’s unopened iPod. At first, the iPod was sold off in shares with $5 USD valuations splitting ownership of the iPod into 5,000 different shares between various ‘owners’. This process was handled by a company known as Limited Liability Company (LLC). However, one collector eventually and unexpectedly accumulated all 5,000 shares to become the complete and sole owner of the iPod, securing the collector exclusive ownership of the prized iPod.

So music fans beware, the precious possessions of the past, especially as they pertain to musical history and technology may want to look through their belongings on the off chance they too may unwittingly be in the ownership of highly valued and very sought-after memorabilia that may be able to help them secure a potentially great sum of money for the trouble of keeping such prized possessions safe. With the recent discontinuation and cessation of manufacturing of iPods by Apple, it may have just become a little easier for tech nerds and avid music listeners to leverage their passions for some cash.

Image Credit: raneko via Flickr | License Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)