Another OG, factory-sealed iPhone goes up for auction

There's another sealed, original 4GB iPhone up for auction that could sell for up to $100,000 or more.

Considering how much these original iPhones auction for, it's safe to say the original device remains one of the more prestigious pieces of technology. Apple changed the world forever when it launched the original iPhone 16 years ago, so collectors want to hang on to that bit of history when they get the chance.

This time around, it's coming from LCG Auctions, which has a factory-sealed, first-generation iPhone up for grabs. At the time of publication, bidding is currently paused, but LGC already has a $10,000 first bird requirement live on the site.

This model isn't as unique as at least one other version that popped up in early 2023, missing the distinct "Lucky You" sticker attached to the front of the box.

There are no details listed in the description of the device other than LGC expects this to sell for between $50,000 and $100,000. However, the title of the post tells us it's an original 4GB model, originally released in 2007.

The current listing page says there's just over two weeks remaining, but the auction itself is currently paused with no bidding allowed.

A factory-sealed iPhone sold for more than $50,000 in March, while that aforementioned "Lucky You" option only went for just over $40,000, though it did have a hole in the packaging. Considering the pristine nature of the box, this one may haul in more than $50,000 by the end of the auction.

7 Comments

iOS_Guy80 899 comments · 5 Years

About 1 year ago

Wonder how much an Apple Vision Pro, in a sealed box, will sell for in 16 years?

mknelson 1146 comments · 9 Years

I suspect Marques Brownlee won't buy this one to open on camera…

jdw 1442 comments · 18 Years

iOS_Guy80 said:

Wonder how much an Apple Vision Pro, in a sealed box, will sell for in 16 years?

Not much unless it becomes a market sensation. But I suspect it won't quite revolutionize the world in the same manner that the iPhone did and continues to do. So I'd advise buying AAPL as a wiser investment for the future.

FileMakerFeller 1561 comments · 6 Years

jdw said:

iOS_Guy80 said:

Wonder how much an Apple Vision Pro, in a sealed box, will sell for in 16 years?

Not much unless it becomes a market sensation. But I suspect it won't quite revolutionize the world in the same manner that the iPhone did and continues to do. So I'd advise buying AAPL as a wiser investment for the future.

Mind you, US$400 invested in AAPL on Oct 1 2007 would be worth US$16,280.81 today - the auctions have returned more than that for these two, maybe three devices. The time to actually make the sale is eons longer than for the stock, though.

FileMakerFeller said:

jdw said:

iOS_Guy80 said:

Wonder how much an Apple Vision Pro, in a sealed box, will sell for in 16 years?

Not much unless it becomes a market sensation. But I suspect it won't quite revolutionize the world in the same manner that the iPhone did and continues to do. So I'd advise buying AAPL as a wiser investment for the future.

Mind you, US$400 invested in AAPL on Oct 1 2007 would be worth US$16,280.81 today - the auctions have returned more than that for these two, maybe three devices. The time to actually make the sale is eons longer than for the stock, though.

Not sure I would define it as "eons" as that word technically means a span of time so long that it cannot be measured. However, I first invested in AAPL in 1999 and have never sold a single share since. EBAY doesn't beat that kind of gain.

Buy stocks wisely and hold 25+ years. That's the name of the game, regardless of whether one wishes to argue that AAPL may not appreciate as much over the next 25 years as it has in the last 25. The stock has paid dividends for years though, and I doubt that will change going forward. Even so, we cannot say what will happen in the distant future.

Don't take my word for it. Buy-and-hold is the philosophy of Warrant Buffet. That man knows what he's talking about. I'm just following his excellent lead. But yes, "hold" means "hold it a very long time."

With that said, ditto my earlier post. The EBAY gains one can expect for the Vision Pro will largely depend on how much of a revolutionary sensation it becomes. I find it hard to believe it would match or best the iPhone though. I still feel that buying a sealed Vision Pro and hiding it for 16+ years will be more of a financial gamble than just buying and holding AAPL.

Consider the original Apple Watch from 2015. The 42mm version sold for $799. I am seeing 42mm sealed box pricing on EBAY for about $1390 today, which is 8 years later. $1390-$799=$591. Even if that doubles over the next 8 years, that would be a total gain of $1,182 for an original 2015 Apple Watch after 16 years.