First generation Apple iPhone in its original box sells for $63,356 at auction trends now

A first-generation Apple iPhone in its original box has sold for $63,356 at auction - almost 16 years after it was first released.  

The 8 GB phone, owned by tattoo artist Karen Green, had been expected to fetch around $50,000 - but the final figure reached almost 106 times the original asking price of $599. 

LCG Auctions described it as a a 'highly-desirable factory sealed first generation original Apple iPhone from 2007'.

The sought-after technology had a starting bid of $2,500 but, 27 bids later, surpassed all expectations to fetch $63,356 yesterday.      

The first iPhone, referred to unofficially as the 'iPhone 1' or 'iPhone 2G', came with either 4, 8 or 16 GB of storage and a 2 megapixel camera.

This is a far cry from the 1 TB of storage and 48 megapixel camera offered by the latest iPhone 14 Pro.

Tech fans can purchase the latest iPhone for £1,099 or up to £1,749 for more storage and a larger screen. 

Karen had originally taken her prized phone on Doctor and the Diva's 'Treasure Hunt Tuesday' in 2019, where expert Dr Lori estimated its worth to be $5,000. 

On the show Karen revealed that the almost 16-year-old phone had been given to her by friends when she started a new job.

As she had just bought a new phone herself, she never opened it and a couple of years later she was told that it could be valuable to a collector. 

She said: 'I figured: it's an iPhone! It will never go out of date!' 

But never in her wildest dreams did Karen expect to receive over $60k for the former gift as the $5k estimate alone on the show left her feeling 'overwhelmed'. 

She was also told that the original sealed packaging meant that she could expect to receive 10 to 25 per cent more than if she had opened the phone. The fact it was 8 GB, rather than 4 GB, also increased its value. 

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The shows' presenters took a light-hearted dig at the fact Karen had not put the expensive present to good use, as they joked: 'What kind of friend are you, Karen?' and 'Karen, your friends want their phone back!' 

Ms Green plans to use the proceeds of the auction to help with the costs of running her new cosmetic tattoo studio, in New Jersey. 

Original iPhones have become a much-desirable collectors' item and can expect to fetch even higher sums in the future. 

LCG said: 'There's little doubt that interest in culturally relevant collectibles is rapidly increasing, and despite the impressive sales numbers, many believe the space is still in its infancy.' 

The Apple iPhone was first introduced by the late Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007 at MacWorld San Francisco. 

'We're going to make some history together today,' he said alongside the slogan 'Apple reinvents the phone'. 

The phone was named Time Magazine's invention of the year in

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