This rare iPhone was just sold for more than a new car

The original iPhone is a hugely important part of mobile phone history, and anyone who has one still in its original packaging might just be sitting on a gold mine if they’re willing to part ways with it as this recent seller did.

We’ve seen a handful of original iPhones selling for ridiculously high prices at auction over the last few months, and the most recent sale of a rare variant indicates that the trend is still going strong.

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Sealed, 2007 iPhone with a red "Lucky You" sticker on it. — Wright

Selling after 12 hours of bidding for $40,320 via Wright auctions, the phone is in its original packaging with an interesting sticker on its front. The sticker is a thin red rectangle with the Apple logo and text reading “Lucky You.” The origins of the sticker are relatively mysterious, but a reader of AppleInsider contacted the publication saying that they worked at an Apple store when the first iPhones hit the market and that the sticker was an optional gift box option for its first holiday — making this version of the iPhone an interesting rare variant.

While not running for quite as much as a recent original iPhone auction that sold for over $60,000, the “Lucky You” iPhone still brought in a solid chunk of change, especially when considering that it wasn’t in perfect mint condition. There was a slight tear in the plastic wrap on the top side of the box, but that didn’t stop bidders from seeing it as a valuable piece of smartphone history.

As more of these high-selling auctions go live, it seems like more valuable versions of the iPhone and other pieces of Apple history have been coming to light. It makes a lot of sense: a person sees an iPhone selling for more money than their car is worth, and they go searching through their closet for their old tech.

While most old iPhones won’t sell for anything close to what the “Lucky You” one did, there’s a good chance that if you have one in mint condition in its original packaging you can make some pretty big money. If you think you’ve got a “Willy Wonka, ‘24 karat’ Golden Ticket,” as the “Lucky You” iPhone seller put it, it might be worth having your phone appraised and put up for auction. Who knows? You might just end up with an additional $40,320.

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