Many of us enjoy collecting items, but who would believe that an iPhone can also be purchased as a collectible? Yes, the first generation of Apple iPhone was up for auction and someone bought the 16-year-old device for more that Over $190,000.
A 2007 Apple iPhone fetched $190,372.80 at auction. Someone paid 300 times the item’s original sale price to purchase it. After a $10,000 opening offer, the auction received a total of 28 bids.
This is not the first time an iPhone has been offered for sale as a collectible. Another first-generation iPhone was auctioned by The LCG Auctions for $63,356 in February. In March, a different company, Wright Auctions, sold a first-generation iPhone for $40,320.
According to the item description on LCG Auctions, the vintage Apple phone is the “Holy Grail” of phone collecting.
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For those who are unaware the first-ever iPhone debuted all the way back in January 2007. At the time, Apple released two versions of what would become its most successful product ever: a 4GB storage model that cost $499 and an 8GB model that cost $599.
According to the auction description, the 4GB model, which cost $599 at the time of purchase, was still wrapped in its factory packaging and in great condition. The object was referred to as “exceedingly rare” and a “popular high-end collectible” by the auctioneer LCG Auctions.
Due to slow overall sales and the introduction of an 8GB variant, the 4GB model was dropped soon after launch. And this is how the 4GB model is the one that has started to get some collector’s value. Apple discontinued the 4GB version because the majority of customers just paid the extra $100 to double the phone’s storage. This is why the unsold devices still remained sealed in their boxes.
According to LCG Auctions, the 2007 Apple iPhone was being auctioned off in its original box, still factory sealed, and was reportedly in “exceptional condition.”
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