Tech Time Capsule: First-Gen iPhone Sold for Over $190,000 at Auction
Even as technological wonders continue to advance, there will always be some objects that are held in higher esteem because of their place in history. This includes a first-generation iPhone recently sold at auction for a whopping sum of $190,372.80. With 28 bids and a final price nearly 400 times the starting bid, this is a testament to the device’s enduring appeal and demand among collectors and tech fans.
When Steve Jobs announced the release of the original 4GB iPhone on June 29, 2007, it caused a massive shift in the telecommunications industry. Even though Jobs called it “magic” and “super smart,” neither of those adjectives was accurate. The iPhone ushered in the modern smartphone era, which radically altered how people interact with one another, get their jobs done, and gain access to information.
Compared to the starting price of $799 for the iPhone 14, Apple’s most recent version of the iconic device, the exorbitant auction price of a first-generation 4GB model demonstrates the device’s status as a “Holy Grail” among iPhone collectors. This device is extremely hard to come by because production was stopped only two months after its initial release due to poor demand.
Despite its high starting price (starting at $499 for the 4GB model and $599 for the 8GB model), the iPhone was eagerly anticipated by Apple fans everywhere. Despite the company’s widespread excitement, the first-generation iPhone’s sales figures were significantly lower than anticipated.
The iPhone that sold for a record price at the most recent LGC Auctions event had been kept in its original packaging all this time. The fact that this phone, which featured a two-megapixel camera and a web browser, had never been activated made it an even more alluring item for collectors looking to acquire a genuine artifact of technological development.
Apple loyalists have repeatedly shown they are willing to shell out a lot of money to get their hands on rare and collectible vintage products. A first-generation iPhone sold for $35,414 in August and another for $39,339 in October. The enthusiasm for Apple’s history is not limited to the iPhone. The enduring fascination with the company’s history was highlighted by selling an Apple-1 Computer prototype from the mid-1970s at auction for over $677,000 last year.
Apple’s meteoric rise to prominence reflects the foresight, creativity, and hard work of its co-founders, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. The company’s founding documents, co-signed by both men in 1976, fetched an astounding $1.59 million in 2011 when they were auctioned.
