Back when it was released in 2007, the original iPhone 2G cost $599 with a two-year contract from AT&T. Seven years later, boxed first-gen iPhones are a little rare, but if you’ve got the dosh, you can still buy one on eBay.
But prepare to be shocked by the sticker price: An original iPhone in mint condition will cost you $12,500.
Mike Wehner at TUAW points us toward a couple of pristine first-gen iPhones on eBay right now, which are selling as a pair for $25,000:
A pair of iPhone 2Gs has just appeared on a single eBay listing — one “lightly used” and one still sealed in its box — along with the collectible (?) iPhone gift bag that they were placed in for their trip home from the Apple Store. Both are the larger 8GB models and both are obviously in pristine condition. Whether or not that warrants a price tag the size of a new SUV is of course up to you.
The seller apparently has a 100 percent approval rating with more than 800 sales, and will ship anywhere in the world (except Russia for some reason).
I have a sentimental place in my heart for the iPhone 2G. It was, after all, my first smartphone. Still, for nearly $15K? I think I’ll pass on a stroll down memory lane.
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
12 responses to “First-gen iPhone 2G is now going for $12,500 on eBay”
They don’t ship to Russia because you can’t ship items more expensive than 150€ at the moment without too much trouble at the customs.
I remember stopping at the Apple Store the evening of the launch. The place was packed and so noisy I couldn’t hear to try out the phone. Apparently I called someone and left 30 seconds of crowd noise on an answering machine. Good times.
Makes you consider buying an Apple watch and hiding it your cupboard for 7 years.
Even unboxed ones in good condition are going for big coin. If you’re lucky enough to still have one, hang onto it !!
Damn!! I have a couple iPhone 3G that I’ll hang on to for years. Who knows….I DO remember the early jailbreak days though when you had to terminal in to the iPhone “2” to jailbreak it and it took a half a day and VERY easy to brick. LOL
It’s one thing t list at this price, but it also doesn’t mean it’ll sell for this price. I’m sure it’ll sell because of his track record but we’ll see if he actually gets that much too.
I have several first gen iPhones. I’ll sell them to anyone with the first $5000 ! ! ! ;-)
You have to remember also that the unused ones have the iOS they came with. Unlike a computer once you update the iPhone it can’t go back. That really makes these 1st gen iPhones unique. I don’t know about $12k unique but it is history. A ton of changes quickly happened in the first few gen due to feedback from customers and developers.
Heck, it wasn’t even called iOS back then!
These still aren’t worth $25k.
I have one for pretty cheap on ebay right now. There is one bid so far for $275 and it ends Sunday. If you want one go look!
I’m going to hang onto my first-gen iPhone, it’s stowed away in its box, inside the neat “sack” they put it in. Those sacks might turn out to be a pretty valuable item as well as the phones themselves. Apple customers are known to keep their packaging around ( I suffer from this same affliction), I wonder how many people kept those nice iPhone sacks.
is anybody going to mention that the batteries are dead after 8 years of non-use?