A first-generation NOS iPhone still sealed in its box just went for $54,904 at auction. The first iPhone sold at retail for $599 when it was first released in 2007.
The sealed-in-the-box iPhone was put up for auction at RR Auction by a former Apple employee who had purchased it when it was first released. The iPhone sold for thousands less than a sealed iPhone auctioned. in February, which sold for a bit more than $63,000, which was a sales record for a sealed-in-the-box first-generation iPhone.
Brand new, factory-sealed example of the original iPhone
Unopened first generation original Apple iPhone, Model A1203, Order MA712LL/A (8GB). The box features a life-size image of the iPhone with twelve icons on the screen, indicating that it is from the earliest production (2007); a 13th icon, for iTunes, came later in the year. In brand new, factory-sealed condition. Accompanied by an AT&T bag and leaflet regarding rate plans and iPhone activation. The consignor notes that he purchased this phone upon its release in 2007, but also received one through work as an Apple employee; this spare was therefore never opened.
“iPhone is a revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone,” Steve Jobs said during his keynote speech that introduced the innovative product. He was right. Developed in secrecy, the original iPhone is the smartphone that transformed the industry, revolutionizing cellphone design as one of the first ‘slate’ form factor phones. The iPhone removed nearly all physical controls in favor of an easy-to-use capacitive touchscreen interface. It put the internet into our pockets with the first full-featured mobile web browser, and essentially launched the market for apps with the introduction of the App Store, making third-party applications easy to access and download. The iPhone ushered in the modern age of the smartphone, and catapulted Apple to the top of the charts as one of the world’s most valuable companies.
We saw two other unopened OG iPhones go for $35,000 and $39,000 in 2022, so hang on to yours if you have one, prices seem to be only going up!
The auction house also sold an “undiscovered” Apple-1 computer for an unspecified sum. Other memorabilia also went for high prices, as an iPhone 11 signed by Apple CEO Tim Cook sold for nearly $4,000, technical instructions annotated by Steve Jobs went for $12,500, and a Steve Jobs business card sold for $6,188.