Question of the Week: Jan. 4, 2023.
Do you have a question and want to possibly be featured? E-mail me here and I’ll do my best to answer. Be sure to include QUESTION OF THE WEEK as the subject line. Keep in mind my answers here are mostly general and should not take the place of a formal appraisal.
Question: “Will today’s electronics (TVs, cell phones, video games, etc.) appreciate in value and be considered desirable antiques in the future?” Jerry from Chicago, Illinois.
Answer: I don’t know.
Disappointing answer, I know. But predicting future antique tastes and trends is a losing battle. You’ll be wrong more than you’re right.
However there are a few trends, visible in my lifetime, that show some electronics may increase in value but the vast majority will not.
Some very early, pioneering TVs from the first half of the 20th century can be valuable. But that room-sized, wood-paneled console TV your parents had in their den in 1975? Not so much. Even modern televisions nosedive in value the second a slightly more advanced technology comes on the market.
The same can be said for any number of electronics – cell phones, computers or a Juicero machine. Most of our electronics are tools. Once they stop working their value drops tremendously. Maybe there’s some value if their raw materials can be easily extracted.
As always, there are exceptions.
Early Apple computers personally built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak – have sold for between $100,000 and $900,000. Pristine, first generation iPhones with original packaging have sold for $3,500 in recent months. But Apple is unique – it has a cult following of collectors similar to Coca- Cola and Budweiser, two other companies that have strong collector markets.
I would be remiss if I failed to mention there also is a very active market for early consoles and their games – Atari and Nintendo primarily. Heritage Auctions has an entire staff dedicated to this market. But again, condition is everything with these items and it’s rare for them to be in mint condition. Video consoles and games are meant to be used, often by kids who are notorious for not taking care of potential collectibles.
So yes, our current electronics will one day be viewed as antiques by our great grandkids. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they will appreciate considerably.
Have more questions? E-mail me at grantmiller@grantmillerappraisals.com. In Illinois and looking for an art or antiques appraiser? Call or text me at 813-240-4586 (Chicago and elsewhere).
