If you owned an iPod way back in 2001, when Apple’s portable MP3 player was first introduced, you probably unpackaged and used it. But on the off chance that you never opened the box, you might be in for a big payday. As 9To5Mac, a still-sealed first-generation iPod just sold at auction for $29,000.
The iPod was available on Rally, a platform that allows investors to buy shares of rare collectibles. In 2021, when the iPod was entered into Rally’s database, it was split into 5,000 shares at $5 share for a total value of $25,000. A buyout offer of $29,000 was accepted this week, giving shareholders a modest profit.
More information on the iPod from the Rally site: “This 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. 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.”
