Auction in the US
First generation iPhone fetches more than $190,000 at auction
In 2007 Apple’s first iPhone came onto the market – one such example is very popular with collectors today
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A 2007 iPhone has fetched more than $190,000 at a US auction. Still sealed in its original packaging, the 4G model is considered the “Holy Grail” by collectors. Apple stopped selling after just two months.
A 16-year-old Apple iPhone changed hands at an online auction on Sunday for $190,372.80. The model is still shrink-wrapped in its original, factory-sealed packaging. In addition to the storage space of 4 gigabytes, the smartphone has a 2-megapixel camera and a web browser.
The extremely rare first delivery model was released on June 29, 2007 – along with the 8GB model. Apple boss Steve Jobs presented the mobile phone for the first time on January 9, 2007 at MacWorld San Francisco with the words “We will reinvent the telephone”. At that time it took 74 days for the group to sell one million of its mobile phones. Cost for the 4G model back then: $499.
iPhone from 2007 is considered the “Holy Grail” among collectors
But the production of the model with four gigabytes of memory was stopped after only two months on September 5, 2007. The majority of buyers opted to buy the more expensive 8GB model at a $100 premium, which was also priced to $399 at the same time.
The original model of the iPhone is considered the “Holy Grail” among collectors because it is extremely rare due to the limited production. According to auction house LCG Auctions, the example being auctioned comes from a man who was part of Apple’s original engineering team when the iPhone was first released. “Collectors and investors will have a hard time finding a better copy,” says the auction house’s website. The model was originally intended to fetch between $50,000 and $100,000. However, after the first bids were placed online, the phone’s value quickly increased.
Other rare Apple memorabilia or relics from Jobs’ life have already been auctioned off at horrendous prices. In November, a buyer paid more than $200,000 for a pair of vintage Birkenstock sandals that Jobs owned and wore — the highest price ever paid for a pair of sandals at auction, according to Julien’s Auctions.
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Source: Auction house LCGDPA archival footage