Collapsed luxury phone manufacturer Vertu is auctioning its $20,000 phones for ‘cheap’

A few months ago, iconic British phone manufacturer Vertu announced that it would enter liquidation after encountering financial difficulties. Now, it’s auctioning the contents of its UK factory, giving the world a window into tech’s most extravagant phone brand.

So sad to see @Vertu factory abandoned ahead of auction today. I have many happy memories of this place. Was a UK tech jewel once. pic.twitter.com/eV5mXmGlF2

— Ben Wood (@benwood) August 10, 2017

Most people never owned a Vertu handset — the cheapest models typically cost several thousands, making them exclusively the preserve of the ultra-wealthy. The Vertu Signiature Touch, for example, started at £7,500 (roughly $10,000).

Amusingly, in 2014, Vertu launched a ‘budget’ line. The Vertu Aster cost ‘just’ £4,500 (roughly $6,000). While significantly cheaper than its stablemates, it was way more expensive than anything the average smartphone buyer could afford.

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But now, with the company’s assets on the auction block, you can pick up a Vertu phone for a (relative) bargain. One of its Signature brand feature phones, which comes encased in 18 karat gold and black alligator leather and originally retailed for £14,700 ($19,000), currently has bids in the £1,150 mark ($1,500).

The liquidators have also listed the company’s phone museum, which contains 105 iconic Vertu phones from the company’s long history. Some of these are concept devices, while others are fully-working models. The opening bid for this is £20,000 ($26,000).

Other collectibles under the hammer are a little more left-field.

The most unusual thing I found in the auction is a large bronze statue of horse-mounted soldier, holding the Vertu logo like a weapon. At the time of writing, the current bid for that is £775 (roughly $1,000).

And if you’re so inclined get into the handset market, you can also pick up some phone manufacturing gear, including workbenches and programming systems.

It’s a staggering fall from grace for Vertu. This was a brand that once saw its phones flogged in the most extravagant of boutiques, like London’s Harrods. Now its assets are sold to the highest bidder at an online auction for a fraction of their retail cost.

I feel sad for them. As a Brit, it’s bitterly sad to see our only domestic phone manufacturer collapse in such a way. And most of all, I’m sad for the nearly 200 people who have lost their jobs.

If you want to get yourself a piece of tech history, hurry: depending on the item, bidding concludes either today, or tomorrow.

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