Featured Image Credit: Jason Kempin / Staff / Justin Sullivan / Staff / Getty
While we wish we had the foresight to save our old tech, we often don't realize what something could be worth one day.
Think how many rare game consoles, DVDs, and pieces of tech we've given away to thrift stores or simply thrown away.
We dread to think of the retro goldmine we could've been sat on, and now, you'll be rushing to your drawers to dig out your old iPhones.
Apple has consistently delivered a new iPhone year after year, meaning the average Apple user has gone through a lot of them over the years.
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The first iPhone was released in 2007, and while it looks like a very distant cousin to the iPhone 16 Pro Max, you can see how they've evolved.
The price of the OG iPhone has continued to climb, and if you have one lying around, it could be worth up to $190,000.
In July 2023, a first edition and unopened 4GB iPhone sold for a jaw-dropping $190,372.80.
This is obviously an anomaly, with the specific first-edition nature of the model being why it fetched such a sum.
A factory-sealed iPhone sold for $63,356 just months before, and in October 2022, one sold for $39,339.
Considering an iPhone sold for $499 in 2007, they've skyrocketed by 380 times.
LCG Auctions sold the $190,000 iPhone, listing it as an 'exceedingly rare factory sealed, first-release 4GB model in exceptional condition.'
The phone was described as 'virtually flawless' and had a starting bid of $10,000. Although you might think it's niche, the auction attracted over 30 bits and went on to sell for a final total of $190,372.
Chances are you might not have a factory-sealed iPhone lying around, meaning that old and scratched iPhone 11 in the drawer probably won't get anywhere near this astronomical price.
Remembering that Apple was the first publicly held company to earn a $3 trillion market value, the iPhone has become one of the most successful tech products of all time.
You only have to look at the continued trajectory of iPhone sales and its willingness to adopt new initiatives like Apple Intelligence to see that this trend will likely continue for a while.
While we can't guarantee a factory-sealed iPhone 16 will be worth more than your retirement fund in the future, if you've got the money, maybe start storing unopened iPhones away.
Nothing has come near the record-breaking $190,000 since the LCG Auctions sale, but it'll be interesting to see if anything can top it.
We don't know what we'd do with an unopened iPhone, but clearly, there's a market out there for those older models.
