They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but is that really true?

When the newest edition of your phone comes out and you absolutely have to have it, what do you do with your old phone when no one else wants it? We wanted to know the answers to these questions so we took a little look into first generation iPhones.

First of all, if you want to rid yourself of a junky old iPhone, contact your phone contract company and see if you can trade in your phone for an upgrade at a reduced price. The iPhone six doesn’t have to cost you an extra $700 if you have a half decent mobile to trade in.

Cellphones have become another accessory: the most important one, really. The one you wear all day, every day, for years on end. A good phone can be more important than a good pair of glasses to some people, and if we haven’t actually said it, we’ve at least heard someone else say the phrase “I feel naked without my phone,” so people are quick to the draw in throwing away old phones.

Next, think about what’s inside the phone that’s valuable. If you throw your phone away as junk, somebody can find it, take it apart, and sell the metal inside to another company.

Studies say 90% of old cellphones are resold and reused to make new phones, then sold back to the consumers. We’re buying the same product over and over again without even realizing it. iPhones contain copper and gold inside of them, valuable metals that can be sold for lots of money.

Though it seems like the iPhone is a relatively new development, first generation iPhones are now considered a novelty item and are being sold online for even more money than the new iPhone 6.

Mint, unopened, or simply good condition first generation 2G iPhones are getting upwards of $2000 a pop, more than triple the cost of a brand new phone.

What’s more, the longer we wait the more money they’re going for on websites like Ebay and Amazon.com. This heavy, seemingly useless phone is now a hot collector’s item and shouldn’t be taken too lightly.

There’s a mint to be made in the old phone department so dismissing it as junk is a bad idea!

The moral of this story is to keep your phone in as good of a condition as possible so the next time a new toy comes out on the market you can get it for the best price out there.