You can own shares in a rare unopened iPod from 2001 as collectibles go mainstream

A rare first-generation Apple iPod from December 2001 is being offered for sale on a tech platform – but rather than buy it outright, bidders are being offered shares in it for just $5 each.

Rally Rd., a New York-based platform, is offering the iPod for $5 a share, selling 5,000 shares for an initial offering price of $25,000.

The platform is giving everyday people the chance to get a slice of the rare collectibles market, even if they don’t have tens of thousands of dollars to spare.

When it went on sale nearly 20 years ago to the day, the white 5GB iPodretailed for $399.

This particular iPod was given as a Christmas gift and sat ‘unopened on a closet shelf, where it would sit for almost two decades,’ Rally wrote in a description on its app.

The iPod was introduced in October 2001, when former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the device is ‘putting 1,000 songs in your pocket.’

Originally seen as a flop, with some reviews saying it lacked features such as wireless capabilities or was one of the worst holiday gifts of 2001, the product ushered in a new wave of smart devices and changed Apple’s fortunes forever. 

To date, more than 400 million iPods have been sold by Apple, according to Benzinga, which first reported the news.

The company is now worth more than $2.4 trillion, an increase of roughly 144,000 percent since the iPod was introduced. 

Rally Rd., a New York-based platform, is offering the 1st-generation iPod for $5 a share, selling 5,000 shares for an initial offering price of $25,000

When it went on sale nearly 20 years ago to the day, the white 5GB model retailed for $399

When it went on sale nearly 20 years ago to the day, the white 5GB model retailed for $399 

The iPod was introduced in October 2001, when former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the device is 'putting 1,000 songs in your pocket'

The iPod was introduced in October 2001, when former Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the device is ‘putting 1,000 songs in your pocket’

The product ushered in a new wave of smart devices and changed Apple's fortunes forever

The product ushered in a new wave of smart devices and changed Apple’s fortunes forever

Originally seen as a flop, with some reviews saying it lacked features such as wireless capabilities

 Originally seen as a flop, with some reviews saying it lacked features such as wireless capabilities

Others said the music-playing device was one of the worst holiday gifts of 2001. Apple has sold more than 400 million iPods to date

Others said the music-playing device was one of the worst holiday gifts of 2001. Apple has sold more than 400 million iPods to date

Apple discontinued this version of the iPod, which later became known as the iPod Classic, in September 2014. 

It currently offers the iPod touch for sale, starting at $199 for a 32GB model, running up to $399 for a 256GB model, more than 50 times the storage of the original iPod.

The iPod is not the first Apple product Rally has offered in its near four-year existence.

In October 2020, it offered a 1986 Macintosh Plus signed by Steve Jobs and the Apple team for $50,000 that is now worth $110,000, according to secondary market prices on the Rally Rd. app.

Rally Rd., a New York-based platform, is offering fractional ownership in the 1st-generation device

Rally Rd., a New York-based platform, is offering fractional ownership in the 1st-generation device

Earlier this year, it offered an Apple I computer signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak with an initial offering price of $825,000.

The company, which got its start selling fractional ownership in classic cars (an item which still attracts to this day), has raised $27 million in funding, according to TechCrunch.

With more than 200,000 users and transactions nearly tripling over the past 12 months, the company has expanded into sports memorabilia, rare books, watches, wines and other categories often seen as investments.

Rally Rd. Co-founder and chief product officer Rob Petrozzo told TechCrunch that the company manages, insures and the stores the products.

Once every three months, after the initial funding round is closed, they are placed into a secondary market to see what the marketplace values them at. 

Other current collectibles available on the app include a 1989 Porsche 911 Speedster, Journals of the Continental Congress (1774-1775) and a First Edition of H.G. Wells: The Time Machine, among others.