You might want to rifle through your things for old tech that you may not have unboxed yet. It seems that people are willing to spend a huge sum to acquire them as a first-generation 4GB iPhone was sold for over $190,000 in an auction.
4GB iPhone for $190,000
This isn't the first time that an old iPhone was sold at an auction for thousands of dollars. Just last year, another original first-generation iPhone was also sold by LCG Auctions, although it was at a significantly lower price of $39,339.60. Some say its value has gone up since then.
The most recent and public sale has been the 4G iPhone. With a final bid of $158,644, the price ultimately grew to $190,372.80. Compared to its original price, the first-generation iPhone at the time of its launch was only sold for $499.
The reason why it's so unbelievably expensive is because of the rarity of the device, especially one that is still unopened. As explained by Gizmodo, the 4GB version has been discontinued long before the 8GB variant of the model.
This was due to people preferring the 8GB model since it only had a $100 price difference at $599. After a few months of the launch in 2007, Apple finally decided to sunset the 4GB model, meaning that it is now much harder to find a factory-sealed 4GB iPhone.
LCG Auctions said that the consignor of the relic was part of the original engineering team at Apple when the iPhone first launched, which somewhat adds value to the item. It was not mentioned whether it was given to him by Apple or if he bought it himself.
Still, for something as rare as a 4GB iPhone, a lot of people were willing to pay the high price to acquire the item, which is a nice change of pace from NFTs when it comes to tech auctions, given that the majority still don't understand the value in the cartoon photos.
Old Tech Devices That Are Worth More Now
To some, old tech might be something that's meant to be thrown out or chucked at the e-waste bin. However, there are collectors all over the world who are more than willing to pay serious cash to buy them, especially if they are in an unopened condition.
For instance, the iPod Classic that was launched back in 2001 could now fetch a few hundred dollars. These are just the used devices that still work. The unused iPods that are still in the box, unopened, could do for thousands.
As told by Komando, special models like the 30GB U2 edition iPod could be sold for tens of thousands. One was sold before for $90,000, which is more than twice the price of the original 8GB iPhone that was sold by LCG Auctions.
Factory-sealed Nintendo cartridges are also high in demand, so if you happen to have one from your childhood that hasn't been opened yet, you might want to check if someone is willing to pay top price for it. An unopened Nintendo Mega Man cartridge was once cold for $75,000.
