Skip to main content

Someone just paid over $60,000 for this ultra-rare iPhone

When outfitted with all of the best specs, the most expensive iPhone you can buy directly from Apple is the iPhone 14 Pro Max. It retails for $1,599 if you get the highest-end 1TB model.

Blatantly ignoring Apple’s current price ceiling, rare iPhones are selling for ridiculously high prices at auction, and one recently showed the world just how much a collector is willing to cough up for a rare Apple device. The iPhone in question is an original, 2007 iPhone that sold for $63,356.40 through LCG Auctions earlier this month.

An original 2007 iPhone sealed in its original box.
LCG Auctions

Before you start frantically rooting through your junk drawer in search of your old, used iPhone, the one that sold was purchased in 2007 and left in its box unopened in perfect condition. According to the seller, Karen Green, in an interview with Business Insider, she was given the phone by some friends, but wasn’t able to use it due to Apple’s former AT&T exclusivity, so it remained in its box.

Recommended Videos

The bidding for the phone started at just $2,500, but after 17 days and 19 bids, it rose to sell for over $60,000 — nearly doubling the previous record for an original iPhone that was set in October  2022, when it sold for over $39,000. According to a representative from LCG Auctions, the online auction house was shown a lot of “duds” following the previous sale after people saw how much old Apple products can sell for, which is what inspired Green to contact LCG Auctions to have her iPhone assessed.

This original iPhone isn’t the only old-school ,mint-condition Apple device that’s sold for a staggering amount of money, however. The original Apple-1 computer, made by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in Jobs’ garage in 1976, sold at auction for $500,000. Obviously, there’s a vast difference between an original iPhone from 2007 and a computer handmade by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976 in terms of their price and significance, but it’s clear that collectors are willing to break the bank for a piece of Apple history.

If you think you have a well-kept, potentially valuable Apple device, it might be worth reaching out to a site like LCG Auctions because you may just be sitting on something worth several thousand dollars.

Peter Hunt Szpytek
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A podcast host and journalist, Peter covers mobile news with Digital Trends and gaming news, reviews, and guides for sites…
The iPhone 17 will reportedly get a new type of Wi-Fi chip
A person using the Apple iPhone 16 Plus.

By this time next year, Apple may have installed its own in-house Wi-Fi chips in all of its phones, or at least one of them.

According to Ming-Chi Kuo, a well-known analyst with a trusted record, Apple is working on its own Wi-Fi chips to replace the current ones from Broadcom, but there's not a firm timeline on when they'll arrive (via MacRumors). He says the iPhone 17 Pro might come equipped with this new chip, but other sources suggest it won't get widespread adoption until the iPhone 18.

Read more
How to fast charge your iPhone
iPhone 12 Mini with charger

While they may not be some of the longest-lasting smartphones on the market, modern iPhones boast more than respectable battery life that should be able to get you through an entire day's use without breaking too much of a sweat. Of course, that assumes a lot of things — including a battery that's still relatively new and in good health, plus a usage pattern that doesn't include all-day streaming or gaming.

But for some people, overnight charging isn't going to cut it, and you'll want to get your battery topped up again as quickly as you can so you can get back in action. Thankfully, every iPhone released in the past six years supports much faster charging, but the downside is that with very few exceptions, Apple has never supplied you with the right adapter to get the best possible charging speeds from your iPhone.

Read more
5 phones you should buy instead of the iPhone 16
Someone holding the iPhone 16.

Apple’s iPhone 16 has arrived, and it’s quite an impressive offering this year. Not only does it come in some of the best colors we’ve seen in a while, but it closes the gap between the base and Pro models even more.

That's all to say the iPhone 16 is a fantastic phone, but if you’re thinking about buying it as your next smartphone purchase, you should also consider some of these alternatives.
iPhone 16 Plus

Read more