Apple fans urged to check drawers for rare iPhone after model sells for $190,000

APPLE users have been advised to check their belongings to locate rare devices that can sell for thousands.

In June, a rare factory-sealed iPhone was sold at auction for a record-breaking $190,372.80.

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The iPhone sold is one of the 4GB variants of the first-generation iPhone that were a limited production.

It is believed to be the most expensive iPhone ever sold at auction – the previous record was set at $63,356.

In a separate auction, a sealed original iPhone with a “Lucky You” sticker set one bidder back $40,320.

LCG Auctions claims that the device in the record-breaking sale was “never activated” and is in “exceptional condition.”

Bidding for the device started on June 30 at 5.00pm EST and ended on July 16 at 9.05PM EST.

The starting bid for the device was a whopping $10,000 before skyrocketing to its selling price.

“The phone’s provenance is pristine as the consignor was part of the original engineering team at Apple when the iPhone first launched,” LCG Auctions noted on its website.

“Collectors and investors would be hard-pressed to find a superior example,” the website added.

“Relevance and rarity comprise a winning formula for this red-hot collectible,” it continued.

The selling and buying of rare phones has increased in popularity over the past few years.

It’s also a reminder that vintage items like the iPhone 1 can score big money because new iterations are constantly being released.

The value of unopened and unused iPhone 1s has shot up in recent years since they’ve become collector’s items.

Two years ago, a factory-sealed boxed iPhone 1 was only worth about $5,000.

A spokesperson for RR Auctions said: “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.

“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.”