An unopened, first edition 4GB 2007 model Apple iPhone has just sold for $278,790.00 AUD at an auction in the US.
At the time, very few were made, with the model now hailed the ‘Holy Grail’ by collectors.
There were 28 bids at the auction, with the iPhone selling for almost 400x its original price.
The final fee included the administration costs, along with the hammer price paid to the auction house by the buyer.
It was described by auctioneers as “a popular high-end, red-hot collectible,” also claiming two other factory-sealed, first edition iPhones were sold at record values in the last year.
Described as an “exceedingly rare, factory sealed, first-release 4GB model in exceptional condition. Virtually flawless along the surface and edges, the factory seal is clean with correct seam details and tightness”.
It originally retailed for US$599.00, with the seller expecting between US$50,000 and $100,000.
Released in 2007 by Steve Jobs, the decision was made to discontinue to model just two months later due to lagging sales.
Most opted for the 8GB model instead, with double the storage for just $100.00 more.
Once every few months, a rare Apple memorabilia or relic is sold at an auction, including a poem Jobs wrote in a high school classmate’s yearbook, photos of him in college, and a business card from 1978.
He passed in 2011 at the age of 56, following pancreatic cancer. He was described as “the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives” and he had made the world “immeasurably better,” introducing the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
