Apple’s First-Gen iPhone Sells for $55,000 at Auction

Teejay Boris, Tech Times 17 March 2023, 10:03 pm

Apple's first-generation iPhone sold for a whopping $55,000 at the recent "Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution" auction.

Several years since the original iPhone saw the light of day, it now costs over 100 times more than its price tag when it launched.

(Photo : JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)
A customer uses her new smartphone during the release of the iPhone 6s at an Apple store in Shanghai on September 25, 2015. Apple launched the new iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on September 25 featuring 3D touch screen technology.

Apple Original iPhone Fetches $55,000 at Auction

A sealed first-generation Apple iPhone recently graced the "Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution" auction, according to a report by Apple Insider.

The original iPhone still comes with its seal. But on top of that, it also has an AT&T bag, alongside a pamphlet, which details the rate plans of the cellular service and how to activate the iPhone.

9to5 Mac reports that the owner of the first-gen iPhone in the auction, who is an Apple employee, bought the mobile device himself when it debuted last 2007. However, given that he is part of the workforce, the tech giant also gave him another iPhone.

And as such, the one that he bought ended up being unopened through the years. Thus, keeping its brand new, factory-sealed condition. With that, it auctioned for a staggering price of nearly $55,000 or $54,904, to be exact.

First-Generation iPhone

It is worth noting that the first-generation iPhone recently fetched a record-breaking price in an auction last February.

As per a news story by ZDNET, an unopened original iPhone sold for $63,356.40 last February during a recent auction handheld by LCG Auctions.

Previously, a sealed first-gen iPhone sold for roughly half that price. LCG says that the unopened original iPhone sold for $35,414 last August. And in October, it fetched $39.339.

With that, the record-breaking sale last February remain to be the highest price for a sealed original iPhone.

Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution Auction

Apple Insider notes in its report that the "Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution" auction lasted for nearly a month. It kicked off last February 17 and concluded on March 16.

(Photo : RYAN ANSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Steve Jobs, chief executive officer of Apple Inc., shows off the company's new advertisement after introducing the iPhone 3G and 2.0 software update during the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA, Monday, June 9, 2008.

The recent auction houses rare items that sport the autograph of the Apple co-founders, the late Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

One of the notable sightings during the auction is an Apple 1 computer, which Wozniak has signed. RR Auction estimates that it fetched to the tune of $500,000.

Besides older memorabilia, the auction also featured an iPhone 11. But this is your typical Apple device, as it comes with the autograph of the big boss the Cupertino giant, Tim Cook. The signed iPhone 11 sold for nearly $4,000.

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