Unique 'Lucky you' sealed original iPhone is up for auction

Posted:
in iPhone edited March 2023
A factory-sealed original iPhone with a unique sticker is up for auction that is expected to end at as much as $60,000.

The
The "Lucky You" iPhone


Coming from Wright auction house, a factory-sealed, first-generation iPhone has arrived from Donald Gajadhar of Fox-White Art & Antique Appraisals. But it has something that sets it apart from other boxed iPhones.

"[It] slowly dawned on me when I held [this] boxed Apple cellphone," says Gajadhar. "My client not only had an unopened cellphone, but a truly unique version."

"A Willy Wonka, '24 karat' Golden Ticket," he added.

The unique sticker
The unique sticker


The iPhone packaging has a red sticker featuring an Apple logo and the words "Lucky you." Although the origin of the sticker is unknown, and AppleInsider does not recall nor have any record of it being an official promotion, a reader recently shed some light in an email to AppleInsider.

"I used to work at Apple retail when first gen iPhone was sold," they said. "If memory serves me correctly, "Lucky You" stickers were available during the holiday season as part of optional gift box."

"We used to have pre-cut and folded boxes that fit the products precisely and the stickers to seal them," they added.

Because part of the package's plastic wrapping has a small hole, the iPhone isn't in mint condition. X-ray images from Fox-White Art & Antique Appraisals show that the box's contents are all there.

An X-ray of the package
An X-ray of the package


The iPhone currently has one bid of $32,000, and the auction house estimates that it could sell between $40,000 and $60,000. In February, a factory-sealed original iPhone was able to sell for $63,000, much more than the anticipated price of $50,000.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 12
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    JP234 said:
    Some folks will buy anything. I might consider buying it for $100 if it had Jobs' autograph on it.
    This isn’t your diary. We don’t need to know your every thought. 
    JP234ddawson100uraharabestkeptsecretchutzpahmknelsonSpitbathwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 12
    payecopayeco Posts: 581member
    It’s a launch day phone:

    https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/the-iphone-effect-tapping-into-apples-legacy-15-years-on/articleshow/92628493.cms

    On June 29, 2007, the iPhone went on sale for the first time, creating a history of sorts.

    Across the United States, people queued up outside Apple stores for hours to buy the coveted device, with some even getting a “lucky you” sticker inside the box. ”
    edited March 2023 radarthekatbageljoeywatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 12
    gmacgmac Posts: 79member
    Trying to figure out the box contents.  Looks like headphones on the left, dock cable at the bottom, usb charger in the middle. What's that in the middle right side of the box?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 12
    gmac said:
    Trying to figure out the box contents.  Looks like headphones on the left, dock cable at the bottom, usb charger in the middle. What's that in the middle right side of the box?
    I was wondering the same. Find an old unboxing video. I believe it’s a docking stand in the middle, AC adapter on the middle right. Think larger 12v size like an old iPad charger with folding prongs, so they look recessed here. 
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 12
    gmacgmac Posts: 79member
    gmac said:
    Trying to figure out the box contents.  Looks like headphones on the left, dock cable at the bottom, usb charger in the middle. What's that in the middle right side of the box?
    I was wondering the same. Find an old unboxing video. I believe it’s a docking stand in the middle, AC adapter on the middle right. Think larger 12v size like an old iPad charger with folding prongs, so they look recessed here. 
    Yeah you're right. Didn't realize they came with docks back then.  Found a pic of the contents:


    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 12
    gmac said:
    gmac said:
    Trying to figure out the box contents.  Looks like headphones on the left, dock cable at the bottom, usb charger in the middle. What's that in the middle right side of the box?
    I was wondering the same. Find an old unboxing video. I believe it’s a docking stand in the middle, AC adapter on the middle right. Think larger 12v size like an old iPad charger with folding prongs, so they look recessed here. 
    Yeah you're right. Didn't realize they came with docks back then.  Found a pic of the contents:


    I still have my first iPhone, its dock and the 30-pin charging cable with the built-in slot for charging the Apple Bluetooth headset. The dock has a jack for audio out built into it so we could plug into a stereo and play music from the iPhone. Good times!
    Japheywatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 12
    JapheyJaphey Posts: 1,767member
    I still have everything except the dock. An old roommate borrowed it and conveniently “lost” it. The box has the upc code cut out of the back, due to the rebate they gave to the very first buyers. Sadly, no “lucky you” sticker though. 
    edited March 2023 watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 12
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,302member
    I trade my iPhone in every year for the latest model, the only exception being the very first one from 2007. That original iPhone was a game changer and worth keeping.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 12
    a13za13z Posts: 1member
    payeco said:
    It’s a launch day phone:

    https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/the-iphone-effect-tapping-into-apples-legacy-15-years-on/articleshow/92628493.cms

    “On June 29, 2007, the iPhone went on sale for the first time, creating a history of sorts.

    Across the United States, people queued up outside Apple stores for hours to buy the coveted device, with some even getting a “lucky you” sticker inside the box. ”
    but it says inside the box. i think apple had the stickers since day 1 (June) and kept them until December for holiday season but instead putting the sticker inside they stuck it on the actual box itself? idk but thats my theory of the origins of the luck you sticker.
  • Reply 10 of 12
    And the buyer is none other than MKBHD, who would’ve guessed?

    https://youtu.be/-BwUyTrU9fo
  • Reply 11 of 12
    JP234 said:
    Some folks will buy anything. I might consider buying it for $100 if it had Jobs' autograph on it.
    Atleast The person who bought this one was all for the tech. MKBHD
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