Unopened & Sealed First-Generation iPhone From 2007 Sold At Auction For RM184,000
The iPhone was reportedly sold for 65 times more than its initial price.
By Wayne Garreth — 20 Oct 2022, 11:06 AM
Picture it: The year was 2007, and anybody with about RM2,000 in their pockets lined up at an Apple distribution store to get the gadget that would eventually revolutionise the world
In 2007, American entrepreneur and former CEO of Apple, the late Steve Jobs, revealed the first of what eventually became a global phenomenon in technological industrialisation.
With a mere 4G or 8G storage (depending on the model of your selection), the original iPhone just consisted of an innovative touchscreen, a two-megapixel camera, 3.5-inch screen display, and a simple web browser.
15 years later, the original, unopened version of this classic iPhone was sold for a whopping USD39,000 (roughly RM184,000) at an auction in Los Angeles, California.
While bidding for the item began at USD2,500 (approximately RM11,750), the final price it was sold for was more than 65 times that amount
Hosted by premiere marketplace specialist, Legacy Collectibles Group (LCG) Auctions, the iPhone up for grabs was described as 'virtually flawless along the surface and edges', with the factory seal clean with correct seam details and tightness.
The iPhone inside was thereby brand new, and never activated. Boosting its appeal to their general audience, the description on LCG Auctions also wrote how, "Collectors and investors would be hard pressed to find a superior example. Relevance and rarity comprise a winning formula for this red hot collectible."
According to the auction page, the bidding began on 30 September and concluded a few days ago, on 16 October.
Nevertheless, reports noted how hours before the auction was set to end, bids tipped the scales at around USD10,000 (approximately RM47,000), but kept climbing and ramped up as the auction neared its close, before finally landing on USD39,000 (RM184,000) for the final sale.
In a statement with CNBC, LCG Auctions founder Mark Montero congratulated the winners, co-signers, and all of the bidders for making this one of the most active auctions in history for their platform.
"We expected the bidding for this item to be fervent, and it did not disappoint as a handful of avid and sophisticated collectors drove the price from just over USD10,000 on Sunday afternoon, to this record setting amount by Sunday night," said Montero.
From the original iPhone in 2007 to the latest iPhone 14 to hit the stands a few weeks ago in 2022, there's no telling how much further this top-tier phone will go
