Rare 4GB Original iPhone Sells for Record $190,000 at Auction

[technicalFoozle]

I looked up my receipt from the Apple Store on 5th avenue from iPhone's release weekend (June 30, 2007) for the 8gb model. It was $599.

The receipt promised a $59.90 fee if opened but did not speak to the potential of a 100x return if I left it closed for 16 years.

If I had just purchased $600 in AAPL stock, it'd be worth ~$34,739 compared to the $63k one 8gb iPhone sold at auction. Obviously, the correct investment advice is to buy as many phones as possible and store them in a warehouse in case they are worth money in the future.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

"Trickle down economics" at work

 

[foobarbaz]

"Trickle down economics" at work

Yeah, trickling down from the person who has too much money, to the person who merely has enough money to buy a $500 device and never use it.

 

[japanime]

Can we have a modern iPhone Mini that is the same size as iPhone 3G / iPhone 4.

For $190,000, I'll Frankenstein one for you 😉

 

[tridley68]

Hope he got apple care With that $190k brick.

 

[Spock]

Theyre not collecting to collect they’re collecting to turn their cash into stuff that can be moved and sold without being as easily taxed and tracked.

Yeah except when this iPhone is opened for the first time, it is then worthless compared to the initial $190k paid. They are doing it for YouTube views and sponsorships.

 

[WWPD]

$190,000 for an iPod with touch controls, an Internet communicator, a phone! Are you getting it?!

 

[pschepers]

tax dodging money launderers never stop

This is the only scenario that makes any sense.

 

[xbjllb]

Money laudnering. It's a thing.

 

[zapmymac]

I looked up my receipt from the Apple Store on 5th avenue from iPhone's release weekend (June 30, 2007) for the 8gb model. It was $599.

The receipt promised a $59.90 fee if opened but did not speak to the potential of a 100x return if I left it closed for 16 years.

If I had just purchased $600 in AAPL stock, it'd be worth ~$34,739 compared to the $63k one 8gb iPhone sold at auction. Obviously, the correct investment advice is to buy as many phones as possible and store them in a warehouse in case they are worth money in the future.

I remember what Apple stock was trading for under three dollars, nobody wanted to buy it

 

[zapmymac]

I guess I should have kept my 3G model. However, I have the 8GB Verizon model still in the closet. 🤣🤨

 

[leoalbuq]

I can´t believe people are commenting this post thinking that the buyer want this iPhone to open the box and use it. 😄😄😄😄

 

[lkrupp]

Why I hadn't bought two and left one unopened?
Why? Why? 😭

Well, mainly because the iPhone was declared DOA upon its release. Critics slammed it, Balmer laughed at it because it didn’t have a keyboard, Nokia dismissed it, it was too expensive, and Apple would fail in an already mature market. Why would anyone buy it? Oh wait...

 

[lkrupp]

I can´t believe people are commenting this post thinking that the buyer want this iPhone to open the box and use it. 😄😄😄😄

If I were the buyer I wouldn’t open it either but I'd sure Xray it or somehow verify there was a device in the package.

 

[jamface]

This is really dumb. No matter how long it’s sealed its battery is gonna destroy it. The battery likely won’t hold any charge at this point anyway. Then you can’t even activate it and the 2G service is essentially gone (though I got an edge indicator in Albuquerque last week). So it’s literally the most pointless thing you can buy.

Rich people are sometimes so rich and/or dumb that this nevertheless would seem to be a reasonable purchase. And, I suppose, who are we to argue?

At least some of the world’s money has been redistributed. Maybe the seller can now change their life for the better.

 

[jamface]

This is really dumb. No matter how long it’s sealed its battery is gonna destroy it. The battery likely won’t hold any charge at this point anyway. Then you can’t even activate it and the 2G service is essentially gone (though I got an edge indicator in Albuquerque last week). So it’s literally the most pointless thing you can buy.

No, literally the most pointless thing you could buy would be some spherical object, like a sponge soccer ball.

This crappy old phone is figuratively the most pointless things you could buy.

 

[Wildkraut]

Would be funny if he opens it someday, and just find a blown up damaged phone.

 

[Wildkraut]

Well, and due to Apples planned obsolescence iPhone activation, nobody will ever able to try it.
The activation servers has been shutdown.

Cloud stuff sucks!

 

[CarAnalogy]

Why all the attention and hype on the first gen iPhones? Sure we have seen original Apple computers and early Macintosh examples fetching absurd prices but not much for everything else. Why don’t we see absurd auctions on first gen unopened iPods, iPads, PowerBooks, MacBooks or Apple Watches? Even the first gen 18k gold Apple Watch editions of which very few were sold seems to attract little attention.

Because the iPhone was as revolutionary as the Macintosh, in the same way. It wasn’t the first smartphone but it was the first to introduce the general population to the concept, and was the inspiration for thousands of clones. It changed the world, for better or worse. Just look at TV/Movies pre- and post about 2008. The entire way we see the world is different now because of it.

 

[mKizzo]

I still have 2x OG iPhone that I bricked trying to crack firmware. I'd love to get those restored and at least operational

 

[BeerDrinkerDan]

Why all the attention and hype on the first gen iPhones? Sure we have seen original Apple computers and early Macintosh examples fetching absurd prices but not much for everything else. Why don’t we see absurd auctions on first gen unopened iPods, iPads, PowerBooks, MacBooks or Apple Watches? Even the first gen 18k gold Apple Watch editions of which very few were sold seems to attract little attention.

Because the iPhone/Mac/Apple changed things dramatically and those other products didn't.

 

[Apple Fan 2008]

Wow! I guess as the years go on it gets more and more rare and expensive.

 

[sjsharksfan12]

This makes me feel old or still living in the past. I remember when the original Iphone was all the rage, and I still had an Ipod Nano at the time. I miss that old Ipod Nano. That was an amazing device. Even though as a Podcast fan having to wait for the episode to sync from Itunes would probably be impossible today.

 

[izzle22]

I have this exact phone in the box. Although it is opened and slightly used it is still in near-mint condition. I will gladly part with it for say $10,000 if anyone is interested.😁 At least it can be viewed without having to worry about breaking the plastic off! And WOW what a bargain!!

 

[Lioness~]

I have a 2nd gen. (I think) iPod Nano Gold in great shape that might still work, if I could find the charger and test it. See if it will show up, otherwise I'll probably keep another 10 yrs, and sell it then.