We already knew that some people think that 212 area codes are the "new rent-controlled apartments," "retro-chic," and platonic ideals of hipness. But are they cool enough to hoard? A record executive wanted a 212 area code so badly, he paid $3,000 for 100 of them. At least that's still better than paying $1 million for one.

Dennis Mykytyn, who runs record label Modern Records in East Village, calls the 212 area code "prestigious"—“When 212 is on your phone, everyone knows where that it is, and it means you’ve been around for a while.” He bought the digits in 2007 for his hedge fund, which has since closed; with his new business, he uses less than 10 of the numbers currently.

Jason Alperovich, the director of business development at Improcom, the company who sold Mykytyn the numbers, says the 212 numbers are still in high demand, but there aren't enough to go around: “A good percentage of our clients will ask for 212, but people are being pushed to 646s. They’re extinct now.”

But don't think that those desperate pleas for prestige will be answered by Mykytyn, who doesn't plan to sell any of his numbers—after all, if people think his analyst in Minnesota is really in NYC, it gives him extra cache. “I guess I could sublease 212 numbers if I wanted to. But I’m not sure if that’s a business I want to get involved in,” he said.