Could a First-Generation iPhone Fetch $190,000 in March 2025? The Booming Market for Early Smartphone Collectibles

Could a First-Generation iPhone Fetch $190,000 in March 2025? The Booming Market for Early Smartphone CollectiblesThe Apple iPhone, the world's first smartphone, is increasingly recognized for its historical significance, a fact reflected in its soaring auction prices. Since 2022, the auction prices of original iPhones have skyrocketed, and a major auction scheduled for March 20, 2025, suggests a new record exceeding $190,000 is on the horizon

Could a First-Generation iPhone Fetch $190,000 in March 2025? The Booming Market for Early Smartphone Collectibles

The Apple iPhone, the world's first smartphone, is increasingly recognized for its historical significance, a fact reflected in its soaring auction prices. Since 2022, the auction prices of original iPhones have skyrocketed, and a major auction scheduled for March 20, 2025, suggests a new record exceeding $190,000 is on the horizon.

The launch of the first iPhone in 2007 marked the dawn of the smartphone era, resulting in one of history's fastest product adoption rates. By 2024, global smartphone shipments reached a staggering 1.24 billion units, with over 5 billion users worldwide meaning nearly two out of every three people own a smartphone. Since the iPhone's debut, the world has undergone a dramatic information revolution, with the smartphone seemingly poised to remain the primary personal computing platform for the foreseeable future. This profound impact continues to elevate the value of the original iPhone.

While the "Information Age" had been underway for decades, a truly new era for humanity began on January 9, 2007, when Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone at the MacWorld Conference in San Francisco. This upcoming auction will feature a photograph of a young Steve Jobs during his time as CEO of NeXt, part of the Clement Mok collection. The photo vividly captures Jobs' charismatic personality and exceptional presentation skills.

The first iPhone officially launched on June 29, 2007, with a 4GB model priced at $499 and an 8GB model at $599. Today, the 4GB version is particularly valuable due to its rarity. Discontinued by Apple within months due to poor sales (most consumers opted for the larger 8GB model), it has become a highly sought-after collector's item.

In the 17 years since its launch, the smartphone has become increasingly integral to human civilization. What were once considered used goods, or even discarded items, are now precious historical artifacts. As smartphone adoption has grown, the historical significance of the original iPhone has become more widely recognized, driving up its value.

In August 2022, an original iPhone set a world record, selling for $35,414, capturing global collector attention and making international news. This record was subsequently broken repeatedly: $39,339 in October 2022, $63,356 in February 2023, and finally surpassing $190,373 on July 16, 2023.

The $190,000 price point is not an outlier; multiple 4GB iPhones have sold for over $130,000, and even exceeding $140,000. Even more noteworthy is the inclusion in this auction of two 8GB iPhones still sealed in their original Apple packaging, whose value is also rapidly appreciating. Since the August 2022 sale of a 4GB iPhone for $35,414, 8GB models have repeatedly surpassed $50,000 and approached $60,000.

RR Auction, a leading global auction house for digital memorabilia, gaming, and computer history, holds its annual "Steve Jobs and the Apple Revolution" auction every March, consistently setting records. This year's auction is particularly significant, featuring a large number of important and rare prototype computers, attracting high-profile participants and a significantly increased number of consigned items. The variety of technological innovations on offer is breathtaking; these pieces will become priceless heirlooms or museum acquisitions, with their value expected to increase dramatically for the foreseeable future.

Each year, this auction attracts more computer history memorabilia, solidifying its position as a key destination for historical collectors. This year's offerings include a significant collection of Apple computer prototypes, an original Apple-I computer (valued at over $300,000), an original Apple-I user manual (valued at over $10,000), and a signed Steve Jobs business card. These items, along with the original iPhones, stand as testaments to the transformation and evolution of the Information Age, their value set to continue its upward trajectory. The escalating auction prices of the original iPhone not only reflect its historical significance as the world's first smartphone but also indicate the booming market for early technology collectibles, rapidly establishing itself as a noteworthy investment area.