Still SEALed, The First Generation IPhone Is Targeted To Be IDR 759 Million When Auctioned

IPhone 2007. (Source: LCG Auctions)

JAKARTA - The first generation iPhone, which is still in a box and is sealed, has not been opened since 2007 in auction starting Thursday last week and is targeted to sell for US$50,000 or around Rp.759,747,500

Initially selling for $599, the first iPhone appeared with a 3.5-inch display with a 2-megapixel camera, plus 4GB and 8GB storage options, internet and iTunes capabilities, running on the 2G network and exclusively for the AT&T network. However, the initial series does not yet have an app store.

The phone was given to Karen Green as a gift, when she found a new job, as reported by The Guardian from Business Insider on February 2.

However, Green already has a new phone, and moreover, the iPhone at that time was not compatible with his mobile network.

Instead of opening the iPhone, Green kept it on the shelf and stayed there for years. In October, Green heard that the first generation iPhone from 2007 had sold for $39,339.60.

Green, who works as a cosmetic tattoo artist, also contacted the LCG auction house.

"We got calls from everyone, but 99 percent of them didn't experience the same thing," said LCG Auctions founder Mark Montero.

"But Karen has a very unique work with a great story behind it."

In 2019, Green appeared on TV show 'Doctor & the Diva', where antiques appraiser Lori Verdame rated her iPhone for $5.000. The price has been rising since then.

Green said he decided to sell the iPhone now to support his new cosmetic tattoo studio in New Jersey.

"If I can keep the phone for another 10 years, I might do it," Green explained.

"The only reason I sell that phone is because I need to support this business."

It is known, the magazine 'Time' called the iPhone a "discovery this year" in 2007. One of the trends this year, 'Time' reports, computing needs to happen in the real world as it does in cyberspace.

"It's really handheld, the computer is running, the first device really deserves the name," Time reported at the time.

The plan is that the auction will open until February 19 to give iPhone lovers time to bid.