This week, a factory-sealed original iPhone is being auctioned for $10,000 USD (around $13,000 CAD). It’s the first iPhone to be auctioned that supports the quickly discontinued 4GB storage.
The auction is being held by LCG Auctions. As of the time of writing, the current bid is already up to $14,641 USD, $4,000 over the starting bid. The auction itself is ongoing for two more weeks. LCG Auctions estimates that the 4GB model will sell anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000 USD (roughly $66,000 and $132,000 CAD).
“The original 4GB model is considered a “Holy Grail” amongst iPhone collectors.” the description reads. “ Its extreme scarcity is directly related to its limited production.” The first iPhone launched in 2007 and was available with either 4GB of storage or 8GB. However, it didn’t take long before customers widely adopted the 8GB model. Rather than continue supporting and selling the 4GB variant, Apple discontinued the device and replaced it with the 16GB model. Flash forward 16 years and the 4GB model is increasingly rare to find, especially sealed.
It’s a bit of a wonder that an original iPhone is still in its factory seal after all this time. However, the device is owned by one of the original engineering team members. “The phone’s provenance is pristine as the consignor was part of the original engineering team at Apple when the iPhone first launched.” Thus, it’s unlikely that many more factory-sealed models may pop up.
When the iPhone launched, the 4GB model was available for $499 USD (around $660 CAD today). The 8GB model, however, was sold for $599 USD (the current equivalent of $792 CAD).
On top of the sealed 4GB iPhone, LCG Auctions is also selling a factory-sealed 8GB model and a 16GB model. The 8GB device even comes with a letter of provenance from a team member who assisted in Apple’s product launch events. Each of the auctions ends on July 16th.
Earlier this year, a factory-sealed 8GB version of the original iPhone was being auctioned for upwards of $60,000 USD (roughly $78,000 CAD).
Image credit: LCG Auctions
Source: MacRumors
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