One of the world’s first iPhones has now been sold at auction.
28 bidders raised the price – and when the gavel hit the table, the handset was sold for almost two million kroner, writes CNN.
“An extraordinary collector’s item,” states the auctioneer.
At the technology company Apple’s annual trade show in 2007, founder Steve Jobs opened his presentation with the words “we will make history together today”. A moment later, he presented the new iPhone.
Now, 16 years later, one of the first models of the phone (the 4GB model) has been sold at auction, reports CNN. The auctioneer LCG Auctions had previously praised the phone as “an extraordinary collector’s item in exceptional condition”.
Production of the phone stopped just two months after launch due to slow sales. This was due, among other things, to an updated 8GB model being released on the market.
The expectation before the auction was that the phone would be sold for a sum between 50,000 and 100,000 dollars (approximately between 500,000 and one million Swedish kronor).
28 bidders raised the price
The auction, which was conducted online, attracted more bidders than expected. A total of 28 bidders participated, driving up the price.
The auction ended with the phone being sold for a little over 190,000 dollars (almost two million Swedish kronor). The phone remains in its original packaging and has never been opened, according to the channel.
The phone is far from the first Steve Jobs-related item to sell for huge sums. In November last year, one of the Apple founder’s old pair of sandals was sold for over the equivalent of two million kroner.