The Apple iPhone craze is real, and there is a dedicated fan base for these phones. In the past, we have seen old iPhones sell for whopping prices, but this recent sale breaks all records. Karen Green, a tattoo artist, sold her almost 16-year-old first-generation iPhone for $52,797 at LCG Auctions, in addition to the 20% buyer’s premium, bringing the total to over $60,000. This is over 100 times the original asking price of $599 for the phone.
Described as a “highly desirable factory-sealed first-generation original Apple iPhone from 2007” at the auction, this iPhone was launched by Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at MacWorld San Francisco. A month later, it was released at a retail price of $499/$599, and the company sold millions of units.
The original iPhone included 4/8/16 GB of storage, a 3.5-inch touchscreen, a 2-megapixel camera, and a web browser. The phone was named Time Magazine’s invention of the year in 2007 and played a key role in changing the phone market globally.
This iPhone was released as an AT&T exclusive and did not work with other carriers at launch. Karen was gifted this phone by her friends when she started her new job. Being a Verizon user, Karen decided to keep the iPhone sealed. “I figured: it’s an iPhone! It will never go out of date,” she said when she first appeared on Doctor and the Diva’s “Treasure Hunt Tuesday” show in 2019 (via Dailymail).
She came to know that the original sealed packaging could fetch 10 to 25 percent more than if she had opened the phone. Being an 8GB model also helped to increase the value of the phone.
Green plans to use the money to run her new cosmetic tattoo studio in New Jersey. This is not the first time that the first-gen iPhone has garnered a hefty amount. Last year, another factory-sealed iPhone first gen sold at an auction for $39,000. It was described as “one of the most important and ubiquitous inventions of our lifetime” by the auction house
ALSO READ l Someone just bought a 15-year-old 2007 first-gen iPhone for 65 times its original price
