An original 2007 sealed iPhone model has sold at auction for more than $63,000, the highest price ever paid for the device. The lot, held by LCG Auctions, opened on February 2 and closed on February 19. After 27 bids, the iPhone sold for $63,356.40, more than 105 times the device’s original retail price of $599.
According to Business Insider, the original owner of the iPhone got the device as a gift from her friend in 2007, but never used it because the iPhone was only available on AT&T’s network at the time. She didn’t turn on her phone for the next 15 years. The auction listing reads:
This is a very popular device from the first generation of the original Apple iPhone that was factory-sealed in 2007. As one of the most important and ubiquitous inventions of our lifetimes, the iPhone was first introduced by Steve Jobs at MacWorld in San Francisco on January 9, 2007. More than five months later, it went on sale June 29 for a retail price of $499 / $599. The original iPhone included 4/8GB of storage, an innovative touch screen, a 2-megapixel camera and a web browser. The iconic box features a picture of an iPhone with 12 ICONS on the screen. It quickly became Apple’s most successful product, changing the smartphone industry forever, and was named Invention of the Year by Time magazine in 2007.
The original iPhone, which came out of the factory in sealed condition, was widely seen as a blue-chip asset for high-end collectors. The impressive open auction bids of $35,414 and $39,339 in August and October of last year drew extensive coverage from major media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fox Business, and others, which also became the highest price ever paid for the device. There is no doubt that interest in related collectibles is growing rapidly. Despite the impressive auction prices, many believe the field is still in its infancy.
The latest bid of $63,356.40 set a record high for a sealed iPhone at auction.
