The factory-sealed "Lucky You" original iPhone sold for $40,320, more expensive than some colleges -- although its estimated price was much higher.
"Lucky You" iPhone
Wright auction house put up the unique iPhone for auction just a few days ago on March 30. It came from Donald Gajadhar of Fox-White Art & Antique Appraisals, who realized its unique quality.
"[It] slowly dawned on me when I held [this] boxed Apple cellphone," says Gajadhar. "My client not only had an unopened cellphone, but a truly unique version."
"A Willy Wonka, '24 karat' Golden Ticket," he added. The iPhone packaging had a red sticker featuring an Apple logo and the words "Lucky you."
According to an AppleInsider reader who worked in Apple retail when the company launched the first iPhone, the "Lucky You" stickers were available during the holidays if customers chose a gift box. "We used to have pre-cut and folded boxes that fit the products precisely and the stickers to seal them," they said.
Although the auction house estimated that the iPhone could sell between $40,000 and $60,000, it sold for $40,320, more expensive than some college tuitions. It's not in mint condition because of a small hole in the package's plastic wrapping, which some collectors could see as a negative.
Fox-White Art & Antique Appraisals had taken X-ray images of the sealed package to confirm that the contents were all present and had not been tampered with.