Unopened Original iPhone Auction Breaks Record with $158,000 Price

At the end of June, another sealed original iPhone came up for auction. It was the 4GB version of the smartphone. After starting the auction with an estimated value of up to $100,000, this unopened original iPhone broke all records with a $158,000 price.

A lot of sealed original iPhones go up for auction in the last year. But a record was set in February at $63,000.

Unopened Original iPhone Auction Breaks Record with $158,000 Price

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Despite that, LCG Auctions estimated that the first release 4GB sealed original iPhone would sell for between $50,000-$100,000. Bidding started at $10,000 for the rare 4GB model on June 30 and up until yesterday, the highest bid was just under $42,000.

However, in the final hours of the auction, the demand was intense with bidding jumping from $67,000 all the way up to $158,644. That’s 250% more than the $63,000 February record for the rare 4GB original iPhone.

And compared to the original $499 price of the 4GB model, that is roughly a 318x increase in value over the last 16 years.

For that money, a bidder secured the “elusive” 4GB original iPhone released on June 29, 2007. The reason for its exclusivity is due to its limited production run, since Apple offered the 8GB model for $100 more, prompting lagging sales for the lower-capacity variant.

Apple discontinued the 4GB model on September 5, 2007, just over two months after its release.

The lot is in “exceptional condition” with “virtually flawless” edges and surfaces and tight wrapping. The iPhone was also cosigned by part of the original engineering team at Apple when the lot first launched.

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