Prices for original Apple iPhones have been surging since 2022 and the next big auction prize fight is set for 20 March 2025. Could $200,000 be achieved?
The world has been undergoing an information revolution ever since the iPhone arrived in 2007, and the smartphone appears to have become humanity’s personal computing platform of choice. Indeed, in 2024, 1.24 billion smartphones were shipped, and the world just passed 5 billion users, meaning two out of three humans now carry a smartphone - across all brands.
The iPhone first hit stores on 29 June 2007, with a retail price of $499 for the 4GB version and $599 for the 8GB version. The 4GB version is now the more valuable of the two, because it is rarer - it was discontinued due to poor sales after just a few months, largely because everyone wanted the 8GB version.
The auction market for original iPhones didn't really kick off until August 2022 when one set a price of $35,414. It made world news, and collectors sat up and took notice. Two months later, the record jumped to $39,339 and then, $63,356 became the new benchmark in February 2023. That record price was well and truly smashed in July 2023 when an original iPhone sold for a whopping $190,373.
The next auction of an original iPhone comes up later this month on 20 March. Could it go for more than $200,000 at the Remarkable Rarities auction? OGN will let you know.
