Apple’s first devices usually the iPhones, iPods, and Macs are often auctioned with people shelling out loads of money for vintage devices. They are often for the ‘richie rich’ and might not be everybody’s cup of tea. Having said that, the first-ever iPhone with 4GB storage unveiled in 2007 by the late Steve Jobs has been sold at a whopping price tag. The original iPhone’s 8GB factory-sealed variant was sold earlier in February this year. 

4GB original iPhone auctioned at a record-breaking price tag

The first-ever iPhone launched in 2007 was quite a revolutionary device with a touch-screen, web browser, connectivity options, and more. It carried a price tag of $500 for the base 4GB storage variant. Notably, the base model was also rare during its original release as it was produced in limited quantity. 

The iPhone 4GB auction was held by LCG Auctions a few weeks ago. The original estimated value of this unit was in the range of $50,000 – $100,000. The bidding began at $10,000 on June 30th and by July 13th, it went slowly to $42,000. However, in the final hours of the auction, the bid price quickly jumped to $108,356 and it finally closed at $158,644 following the intense bidding war. The device was sold at $190,372 which is likely after including taxes. The 4GB iPhone topped the previous record of the 8GB variant that was auctioned for $63,000. It was owned by a former Apple Engineer, Phil Martino. 

The iPhone 4GB that was auctioned is a factory-sealed unit inside the original box. Since it was a rare variant, LCG Auctions described it as the “Holy Grail” among iPhone collectors. The final value was up 318 times compared to its original selling price. It also outperformed the stock market over the last 16 years (pun intended)

Rare iPhones have been going under the hammer in recent months. It’s interesting to see takers for a 16-year-old device.  

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