October 17, 2022 update:
Anyone who followed our report and also the auction should have already seen that in the end much more came out than “just” 30,000 US dollars for the originally packaged iPhone from 2007 – namely for a whopping $39,339.60 the collector’s item changed hands in the end. As far as we know, that is probably the highest price ever called for an original iPhone at an auction. The highest price offered for a boxed iPhone from 2007 was after this one Report from Zdnet.com in August 2022 so far at 35,000 US dollars – also not a bargain, but an actually unbelievable price for such a completely outdated piece of technology, which one can probably only afford if one is really completely enthusiastic about such a “vintage” device. It will be interesting to see whether this limit can be pushed even further and beyond 40,000 US dollars at a future auction for such a model.
Original message on October 14, 2022
LCG-Auctions intends to have auctioned off an originally packaged iPhone from 2007 in its “2022 Fall Premier Auction” by October 16th – the expectations for the final price are 30,000 US dollars or even more! This reports Apple Insider. Bids started at $2,500 and are now just under $9,500 after 15 bids, and no doubt rising. View the details and bid for this auction you can here.
Current best price: iPhone 14 Pro 128 GB in silver:
2007 iPhone as fresh as it was then
The packaging box is therefore sealed in the original plastic film and undamaged. It was never provided with packaging, storage or shipping labels and is in its original factory condition. The barcodes and regulatory information are visible and not faded on the back of the box, the auctioneer continues. The iPhone on offer is an 8GB model that cost $599 when it launched. Bidding closes at 5pm EST on October 16th, which is 11pm on Sunday according to our local time. Those who can and want to afford it will undoubtedly receive an exquisite and legendary piece of technology that Steve Jobs officially presented in January 2007 in his keynote at Macworld in San Francisco.
Steve Jobs proudly presents the new iPhone
The key excerpts of this presentation can be found in this video on youtube (Length 14 minutes). Steve Jobs briefly addresses other prominent introductions of Apple products such as the original Macintosh (1984) or the iPod (2001), briefly shows a “fake iPhone” (an iPod with a rotary dial), and after further explanations finally the to present the original new iPhone as an iPod, Internet communicator and telephone integration to enthusiastic audiences. At that time, Steve Jobs could still praise a smartphone with a display of 3.5 inches and a resolution of 160 pixels per inch as “really big”…
Desirable vintage product
only in August had a boxed iPhone at auction for over $35,000 changed hands, an original iPod still fetched $25,000. Working Apple I’s from 1976 occasionally come up for auction for several hundred thousand dollars.