A 2001 iPod just sold for an unbelievable world-record price

The original iPod from 2001 is arguably the product that paved the way for today’s iPhone 14 and beyond, and it became an icon not just for Apple but for a generation. It wasn’t cheap at $399, but that’s a bargain compared to the price one just sold for.

The original iPod sold for an incredible $29,000 on the Rally platform which allows people to effectively buy shares in rare collectible items.

Rally sold thousands of shares in the 2001 iPod, a product that had 5GB of storage and includes an original Apple Store bag. There’s also an original, unopened iPod sleeve included as well.

A 2001 classic

It isn’t every day that you see a 22-year-old item sell for such a huge sum, but the 2001 iPod wasn’t an everyday product.

« The iPod was originally purchased for $399 + tax in December 2001 at Willowbrook Mall in Plano Texas, at an Apple Store that was actually opened just before the iPod release, » Rally told iMore via email. « Its original owner received it as a Christmas gift, and the iPod was placed unopened on a closet shelf, where it sat for almost two decades. »

Rally originally put the iPod up for $5 per share with 5,000 shares available, and a new buyout offer was placed for $29,000 recently. Existing shareholders voted on the buyout and approved it, resulting in a new record.

If you somehow have an unopened iPod sitting in a cupboard somewhere, now might be a good time to dust it off and consider selling it for a huge profit. Even with inflation, the $399 purchase price can’t compete with this kind of figure.

It isn’t just iPods, either. A 4GB original iPhone recently sold for another record, an incredible $190,000. That’s an incredible amount of money and it’s likely to only appreciate in value, too.