In early February, the original first-generation Apple iPhone was sold for a record $63,356 at auction. It was an iPhone model with 4Gb or 8GB of memory options that was released in 2007 and sold for $599 at the time. Bidding at LCG Auctions began in early February at $2,500 with an estimated selling price of $50,000.
The auction opened on February 2 and closed on February 19. A total of 27 bids were received, with the final bid being almost 106 times what the smartphone was worth in 2007.
The past owner of the smartphone, a cosmetic tattoo artist from New Jersey, Karen Green, received the iPhone as a gift over 15 years ago. She never opened it as back then, she was a Verizon customer while the phone only ran on AT&T's network, so she's forgotten about it for over a decade.
In October 2022, Karen contacted LCG Auctions after learning that another first-generation iPhone was sold for nearly $40,000. LCG Auctions convinced the owner that her phone could fetch "$50,000 and up." Green will use the earnings to fund her business venture in New Jersey.
Apple launched its first iPhone in January 2007 when Steve Jobs was in charge. When Jobs announced the new smartphone, he called it "revolutionary."