TECHNOLOGY

50 years ago, the first cell phone call: if you have that phone model, it can be worth a lot today

Fifty years ago, the world of communication changed forever. In 1973, in fact, the first cellular phone call in history was made.

An event that, although passed almost unnoticed at the time, would have epochal consequences on people's lives and on technological development in the following decades. Its launch marked the beginning of a revolution that would make the mobile phone one of the most indispensable objects in our daily lives.

Today, fifty years after that historic call, the phone in question has become a highly coveted collector's item. There are still some in circulation, but very few are in perfect, working condition. Precisely because of this, its value can reach astronomical figures: we are talking tens of thousands of euros for the rarest and most well-preserved models.

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50 years ago, the first cell phone call: if you have that phone model, it can be worth a lot today
Fifty years ago, the world of communication changed forever. In 1973, in fact, the first cellular phone call in history was made. An event that, although it went almost unnoticed at the time, would have epochal consequences for people's lives and technological development in the decades that followed. Its launch marked the beginning of a revolution that would make the cell phone one of the most indispensable objects of our daily lives. Today, fifty years after that historic call, the phone in question has become a highly coveted collector's item. There are still some in circulation, but very few are in perfect, working condition. Precisely because of this, its value can reach astronomical figures: we are talking tens of thousands of euros for the rarest and most well-preserved models.
Di Rico Shen, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2205234
50th anniversary
April 3 marks the 50th anniversary of the first phone call made via cell phone. It was made by the U.S. engineer Martin Cooper, who was working for Motorola at the time, on April 3, 1973, and started the long path of technological development that led to today's smartphone.
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
Motorola DynaTAC 8000X
The first portable cell phone weighed over a kilogram (almost 1.5 kg), had a battery life of only 30 minutes and took at least 6 hours to recharge. We are talking about the Motorola DynaTAC: it had a retractable antenna almost 30 centimeters long and could only be used for voice calls. In fact, the messaging, camera or Internet features that we take for granted today did not yet exist.
By Redrum0486 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DynaTAC8000X.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wi
A piece of history
The Motorola DynaTAC is a family of cell phones from Motorola Inc. marketed from 1984 to 1994. Almost all models of Motorola DynaTAC phones are portable. An exception is the Motorola DynaTAC 6000XL which is instead a vehicle phone. The historical importance of the Motorola DynaTAC family of cell phones is remarkable in that the first portable cell phone in history belongs to this family.
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
How much is it worth?
If by chance, in the attic or in a drawer, you have a DynaTac, then you could make a small fortune. On eBay the average prices to secure one DynaTac are around 1,000 euros, (about 1,091 U.S. dollars) but there are also those who ask over 120 thousand for a specimen in perfect condition. Run check it out!
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