A first-generation iPhone in its original sealed box has been sold for a whopping $63,356.40 at an auction, which is more than 100 times its original price. LCG Auctions hosted the auction, which started with a bid of $2,500 and reached a final sale price of over $63,000 after 27 bids on Sunday. The phone was expected to sell for $50,000, but the final sale price exceeded that estimate by more than $13,000.
The original owner of the phone, Karen Green, received it as a gift from her friends after starting a new job in 2007. At that time, her friends likely purchased the phone for $499 to $599. Although Green already had a phone at that time, she decided not to open it and kept it in its original packaging. The phone was appraised in 2019 and was estimated to be worth $5,000 due to its pristine condition and larger 8GB storage capacity (compared to the 4GB storage capacity of the original model).
The first-generation iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs at MacWorld, a trade show in San Francisco, on January 9, 2007, and went on sale five months later. With its sleek design, innovative touchscreen, web browsing capabilities, and a 2-megapixel camera, it became an instant hit. While other first-release iPhones have been auctioned before, this particular phone’s sale price is significantly higher than those previous sales. In August and October, another two first-generation iPhones sold for $35,414 and $39,339, respectively, on the same auction platform.
Apple has a loyal fan base and many collectors consider the company’s products to be cultural artifacts and landmarks in the history of technology. Last year, an early prototype of an Apple computer from the 1970s was sold for over $677,000, further highlighting the demand for rare and collectible Apple products.
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