Unopened first-generation iPhone sells for over P3.4 million at an auction

An unopened first-generation iPhone from 2007 sold for over $63,000 (P3.4 million) at an auction.

The Louisiana-based LCG Auctions on its website posted the winning 27th bid of $63,356.40. The starting bid was at $2,500 (P137,000).

Steve Jobs, the late co-founder of Apple, introduced the iPhone to the world on Jan. 9, 2007, during the MacWorld conference in San Francisco. It retailed the following June for $499 (P23,000) for 4GB and $599 (P27,000) for 8GB.

At the time, the pioneering gadget's specs included a touchscreen, a 2-megapixel camera, and a 3.5-inch display.

Business Insider reported that its original owner, Karen Green, got an iPhone as a gift from friends during its launch. Green, however, already had three phone lines. She left it on a shelf unopened and unused, wrapped in a pair of felt pajamas.

In 2019, or a decade later, Green had her iPhone appraised on the daytime show Doctor & The Diva. At the time, Green's iPhone was estimated at $5,000 (P275,000), though she decided to hold on to it some more to further increase its value.

After a boxed first-generation iPhone sold at RR Auction for over $35,000 (P1.9 million) in August 2022, and for over $39,000 (P2.1 million) at LCG Auctions in October 2022, Green thought it was already time to auction hers off.

"The iconic box featured a life-size image of the iPhone with 12 icons on the screen. It quickly became Apple’s most successful product, forever changed the smartphone industry, and was named the Time Magazine Invention of the Year in 2007," LCG Auctions said on its website.

"A truly remarkable piece with great appeal to both collectors and investors alike," it added.