Culture

867-5309/Jenny: Famous Number Attracts Nearly $500,000 on eBay

by Tina Kells | February 3, 2009 at 12:04 pm

977 views | 3 Recommendations | 6 comments

Tommy Tutone's song 867-5309/Jenny was a hit in the 80's and now the famous phone number is a hit on eBay as well. The 867-5309 number, with a New Jersey area code 201, was put up for auction on eBay this week and is now valued at over $434,000 US. It seems that Jenny's number may break eBay records for bidding on a intangible.

See the 867-5309 eBay auction as the bids continue to rise

867-5309 owner Spencer Potter was assigned the number five years ago for free. Potter, 28, a New Jersey DJ, is likely too young to remember the hit song but probably knows the tune by way of his chosen career. It is a tune he is sure to be singing all the way to the bank when the bidding closes on eBay as it could net him more than $500,000 US by the time bidding closes at one minute after noon PST on February 9, 2009.

That monotonous ditty made famous by a one-hit wonder band called Tommy Tutone at the peak of New Wave's popularity in the early 80s. It isn't a difficult number to remember -- especially since they repeat it 20 times in three minutes.

A Weehawken man who bought the number five years ago -- long after "867-5309/Jenny" peaked at No. 4 on the Biilboard charts -- tells the Star Ledger of Newark that he's moving out of town and selling off the famous digits on eBay.

Spencer Potter, 28, said he and several roommates requested the 201 number as a goof. They were in luck, it seemed. When they discovered it was available in the 201 area code, they snatched it up (there are dozens of others nationwide, one of which belongs to a Rhode Island plumbing company).

A few beats later, the phone began to sing.

"All hell broke loose and it hasn't stopped since," Potter, a local deejay, told the Ledger, adding that he had to add an answering machine and another phone.

16 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend This comment thread is now closed

Amy Judd

at 12:25 on February 3rd, 2009

This is a cool song - although not sure about the karoke video.... I wish I had this number

Fred Miller

at 18:54 on February 3rd, 2009

Why, would you want your phone to ring off the hook ?

RegiaArt

at 15:53 on February 3rd, 2009

867-5309 phone number offer on eBay inspired me to create a drawing and also put up for auction on eBay.

RegiaArt has contributed a photo to this story.

d_hellekson

at 18:50 on February 3rd, 2009

At the Fifth Annual Shack Nasty Costume Ball, Minneapolis, March 2007, nonstop dance music sometimes made it hard for revelers to hold still for photos (particularly the "5309" portion of this group costume: nine fabulous, fluorescent babes as the Tommy Tutone song). The party theme was Music, which brought out a bevy of bands, stars, songs and objects (including a guy with a slimy acetate shirt and a disco ball on his head). I was a modest "96 Tears" by ? and the Mysterions. The party, which has no purpose but to banish a virulent form of cabin fever, is inspiring close to 500 of the afflicted again, for the seventh time, this year.

The appeal of "868-5309/Jenny"is obvious to anyone who's tried to get it out of his or her head after hearing it or (as in the case of my revisiting this photo) thinking about it...

d_hellekson has contributed a photo to this story.

TheHeat0415

at 09:24 on February 5th, 2009

TheHeat0415 has contributed a photo to this story.

SpencerPotter (not verified)

at 17:03 on February 8th, 2009

You guys did a story on Spencer Potter - he's the guy selling Jenny's number 867-5309... I purchased his domain name: SpencerPotter.com and I have it listed on eBay and I'm receive tons of message from people from all over... Mainly to see if Spencer has contacted me about buying it... give me a call if interested... thanks! 804-929-0269