Would You Pay $50,000 For An iPhone That’s Not Even Old Enough To Vote?

An original Apple iPhone that came out in 2007 is going up for auction this month. The phone is even factory-sealed, according to the sellers. But how much should you pay for a phone that’s not even a proper antique yet? After all, the year 2007 was just 16 years ago, meaning it’s not even old enough to vote. The seller is hoping to get an astonishing $50,000.

How did the auction house, LCG Auctions, arrive at such a high number? Well, believe it or not, another factory-sealed iPhone sold for over $39,000 back in October. And it speaks to the premium that collectors are willing to pay for anything with an Apple name.

“The original first-release iPhone in factory sealed condition is widely regarded as a blue-chip asset amongst high-end collectors,” LCG Auctions said in the listing for the iPhone on its website.

“Impressive public sales of $35,414 in August and $39,339 in October of last year resulted in widespread media coverage from major outlets including the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Fox Business, and others. There’s little doubt that interest in culturally relevant collectibles is rapidly increasing, and despite the impressive sales numbers, many believe the space is still in its infancy,” the auction house continued.

People who had the original iPhone will remember it lacked quite a few features that we take for granted today. Yes, the original iPhone had Maps back in 2007, but it didn’t have GPS, meaning users had to input both the origin address and the destination address to get driving directions anywhere.

In fact, I remember traveling to Detroit for work in 2008 and pulling my rental car over to the side of the road to get a street address just so that I could input the address where I was, hopelessly lost in a city I didn’t know. It was either that or buy a paper map, something that seems downright funny today.

The original iPhone also didn’t have Siri or any other voice recognition software that allows people to keep from having to type out cumbersome inputs. But no Siri means no turn-by-turn voice directions for Maps either.

Yes, it’s been almost 16 years since the iPhone was first introduced. And while it may not be old enough to vote, that era really does feel like ancient history when you look at the technology we all carry around in our pockets today. If only Apple could convince the buying public its latest upgrades were worth pursuing.

If you’ve got the money and the desire, the bidding for this unopened iPhone starts at $2,500. But you’ve been warned. It could easily climb to $50,000 if history is any guide.