San Francisco, Feb 20 (IANS): A first-generation iPhone has sold for a record-breaking price of $63,356 (approx Rs 52,00,000) at an auction, the highest sale ever recorded for an original 2007 iPhone.

On Sunday evening, an iPhone, still factory sealed, sold for $52,797 at LCG Auctions (a premier auction house in the US) with a 20 per cent buyer's premium fee bringing the total sale to over $60,000, according to iMore.

Karen Green, a cosmetic tattoo artist in the US, received the 8GB smartphone as a congratulations gift for starting a new job in 2007.

This was the first iPhone, featuring a 3.5-inch display and a 2-megapixel camera, retailing for $599, a far cry from the best iPhone of today with its 6.7-inch display and a 48-megapixel camera, the report said.

Originally released as an AT&T exclusive (an American multinational telecommunications holding company), the iPhone did not work with any other carriers at launch.

Green chose to keep the first-generation iPhone sealed in order to avoid losing her Verizon (an American multinational telecommunications company) phone lines.

Fast forward 16 years and her decision to stay with Verizon has paid off handsomely, the report mentioned.

The cost of original iPhones has risen dramatically in recent years, with prices reaching as high as $39,000 last year for a sealed first-generation iPhone, it added.

Meanwhile, Apple's upcoming smartphone iPhone 15 Ultra is likely to launch at a starting price of $1,299, a significant increase from the iPhone 14 Pro Max's starting price of $1,099.