‘Elusive’ 4GB first-gen iPhone sells for $190,373 at auction – Ars Technica

If you were to buy a new smartphone today and they offered a model with 4GB of storage, you’d probably laugh. Considering the 8GB model costs just over $100, that’s what most buyers did when they saw the original iPhone. Nowadays, you can get an iPhone with 1TB of storage. But that didn’t stop collectors from spending dollars190.372,80 An auction that ended yesterday is for an original 4GB iPhone.

The day before yesterday, the highest selling price for a 2007 iPhone was $63,356.40. The LCG was sold via auction and was intended for the 8GB model which originally sold for $599.

The smaller memory model surpassed the first-generation iPhone auction record by 200.48 percent and sold for 38,050.86 percent more than its original price of $499. After 28 attempts, the skyrocketing final sale price included a final bid of $158,644 plus administrative costs. LCG Auctions expected the phone to sell for between $50,000 and $100,000, but the collection exceeded expectations.

I took lout LCG auction pageThe phone with 4GB of Samsung Flash storage has been the “holy grail” for iPhone collectors since Apple discontinued it just two months after its release. The 4GB model just can’t compete with the slightly more expensive 8GB model.

Additionally, the $190,372.80 iPhone is nearly factory sealed, never activated and in “excellent condition,” according to the auction site, which claims the phone is “virtually flawless on the surface and edges.” and has a clear factory seal. Features “correct seam detail and tension” and back label “original under seal”. Unfortunately, the iPhone is too old for Apple Care, but it still has features from 2007, like a 3.5-inch LCD screen and a 2-megapixel camera.

Above all, the auction highlights purists who are willing to opt for the classic strategy The original iPhone. But the sheer nature and scarcity of the 2007 4GB iPhone suggests we’re nearing peak prices. LCG Auctions claims that “the origin of the phone is genuine because the consignor was part of Apple’s original engineering team when the iPhone was first released,” increasing the value of that particular device. “Collectors and investors will rarely find a better example,” says the auction site

Another first generation iPhone LCG with 8GB of storage was also sold during the 2023 Summer Premier Auction, which ended yesterday at a cheaper but still amazing price. 53.725,20 $.