Almost every home has one: a drawer full of old phones nobody uses anymore. Most of them are worth very little. But some models, in the right condition, have sold for sums their owners never imagined. And one of them sat forgotten for years before selling for $63,356.
In short
- A factory-sealed 2007 iPhone sold for $63,356 at auction in February 2023.
- Its owner had received it as a gift and put it away, unopened, for years.
- A few months later, a rare 4GB model sold for $190,372.80.
- The key is condition: still sealed, with its original box. A used phone is worth far less.
The phone she never opened
In 2007, a woman starting a management job at PetSmart received a brand-new iPhone as a gift from friends. She already had three Verizon lines, so she put the phone away and forgot about it, iPhone in Canada reported. In 2019, an appraiser on a TV segment valued it at $5,000.
In February 2023, it sold at LCG Auctions for $63,356. Its retail price in 2007 was $599.
The record: $190,372.80
In July 2023, another factory-sealed first-generation iPhone, the rarer 4GB model, sold for $190,372.80 at LCG Auctions, according to MacTrast. It retailed for $499 in 2007, while the 8GB version cost $599. MacTrast describes the 4GB as the rarest first-generation model, and this one came with a letter of provenance. In other words, a phone that cost a few hundred dollars in 2007 ended up selling for the price of a house in many parts of the country.
What makes an old phone valuable
The two stories have one thing in common: nobody bought these phones as an investment. One was a gift that was never opened, the other a box that stayed sealed for 16 years. These records share a few things:
- The model: a first-generation device, or a historic one, attracts collectors.
- The condition: factory-sealed, in its original box, never activated.
- The story: provenance documents help. The 4GB iPhone came with a letter of provenance.
- The sale channel: specialized auction houses reach serious collectors.
Before you throw out that drawer
Check what you have: the exact model, its condition, whether you still have the box, the manuals and the accessories. Don’t open a sealed device just to see if it works: for collectors, an intact seal is part of the value. Completed sales on auction sites give a much better idea of value than listing prices. Treasures sometimes hide in the most ordinary things, like the everyday item that contains real gold. And if you’re decluttering the kitchen too, here’s why many homes are saying goodbye to the microwave.
The limit
Let’s be clear: these are exceptions. Both record phones were still sealed in their original packaging. A used, scratched or opened phone, even an early iPhone, is usually worth a small fraction of these prices, and most old phones in a drawer are worth little. Before selling or recycling one, back up your photos and wipe your data.
That’s the trick.
