A pair of sealed, first-edition iPhones, Mike Tyson's debut trunks and Alex Van Halen's touring drum kit were among the most interesting items sold at auction this past weekend.
Comments and analysis from cllct's Will Stern and Darren Rovell.
iPhone auction at Goldin (8GB, CAS 85+, later release)
Price: $57,340
Stern: We love a good comp in this industry. Something to peg value to, establish a market price, inform us on evolving trends. But sometimes, it’s just not that easy, as we saw this weekend with the sale of two sealed iPhones, one of which managed to achieve the highest price for a 2007 sealed iPhone in a year at $57,340, while the other sold for less than half that at $22,784.40.
Why the difference in price? Well, they are not perfect comps, but it was the arguably superior example that got the short end of the stick. Let me explain.
With sealed iPhones, there are a few factors at play that help differentiate otherwise-similar examples. This excludes the 8GB vs. 4GB discussion, as both of these phones are 8GBs.
One is condition, the seal, box, and overall eye-appeal. Another is release date — the earlier the better. Then comes provenance. In a world with few safeguards concerning authenticity, this becomes incredibly important.
So, let’s look at each iPhone, the $57,340 example which sold at Goldin and the $22,784.40 at LCG Auctions, and compare across each factor.
The Goldin copy came graded CAS 85+, but the authenticating services process for reviewing sealed tech is not known, and has proven to be less-than-perfect in the past. This is, however, one of the highest-graded examples ever sold publicly.
LCG’s copy comes ungraded. However, it appears in excellent condition, and I’d go as far as to say it’s superior to Goldin’s based on eye appeal.
Release date is an easy win for LCG, which shows a shipping date within a week of the June 2007 release. Goldin’s copy exhibits an iTunes app icon on the box, which wouldn’t have been added until months after release.
Provenance-wise, Goldin’s iPhone lacks any traits of ownership exhibited to the public. LCG’s comes alongside its original FedEx shipping box, marking the second time such an example has sold publicly.
If there was a scorecard for both of these, I would easily rank LCG above Goldin’s just based on the facts, with the only real possible element in Goldin’s favor coming in the form of its third-party authentication.
Personally, I have yet to see enough accountability from CAS to merit this kind of premium, considering the company has authenticated re-sealed examples in the past and has yet to provide a public statement (nor private, despite cllct's repeated requests for comment).
Rovell: I take the LCG at that price. At the end of the day, you have to be able to tell the story. To me, it's the box that it came in. I freaking love that.
2010 first-generation Apple iPad, factory-sealed (64GB/3G)
Price: $2,074.80
Somewhat surprisingly, given the attention paid to sealed original iPhones, this is only the second time we’ve seen a 1st generation iPad sell at public auction in sealed condition, with the sole previous result coming in at $2,276 in March 2024 at RR auctions.
Stern: I think this is extremely undervalued. No, the iPad didn’t change the world the same way the iPhone did, but given the obvious rarity, it’s clearly an item collectors shouldn’t expect to find at auctions with any frequency, and at a fraction of the price of the seemingly more common iPhone, the buyer might have stolen this one for a bargain.
Rovell: So, what you are asking, Will, is this: Does a first-generation iPad deserve to be discounted in between 10-25x versus a first-generation iPhone? I do think there's a big difference, but maybe not that wide.
2012 Alex Van Halen complete drum kit
Price: $45,140
Stern: Most people think of Eddie Van Halen when conjuring up images of a Van Halen musician in their mind. After all, the Eddie is one of the most well-regarded guitarists who ever lived. After his death in 2020, his memorabilia saw a surge in interest, punctuated by the massive $3.9 million sale of his “Hot for Teacher” guitar in April 2023.
However, his brother Alex was no slouch in his role behind the drums, and collectors have long shown him respect as an icon in his own right. In 2021, a tour-played kit from the famed “Invasion Tour” in 1980 fetched $230,400.
This result, while a far cry from that sale at Julien’s, is a solid price considering it comes from a late-era tour in 2012, long after the band’s prime.
Rovell: Big pieces usually come with a discount, but the wealthy are getting more and more interested in the large items, including dinosaurs. In that realm, a drum set from a noted band or drummer is an incredible piece, and I don't hate the price paid for this. In 2015, Jim Irsay paid $2.2 million for Ringo Starr's Beatles drum set and I can't see that going for less than $8 to $10 million today.
Mike Tyson debut trunks
Price: $80,520
Rovell: An amazing piece from his debut that appears to match what he was wearing? Yes. But it couldn’t be photo-matched? It also has a really ugly inscription that doesn’t make sense or tie it to Fight No. 1. That makes this price an amazing one for Goldin and the consignor. The only boxing trunks that have sold for more? Ali’s “Thrilla in Manila” and Ali’s “Rumble In The Jungle” trunks.
Stern: After the “Thrilla in Manila” shorts were pulled by Sotheby’s hours before its sale — with a top bid of $3.8 million — I can’t say it feels like the market for his trunks is a known quantity. But at sub-$100,000, considering the heights we’ve seen reached by other trunks ($155,350 for the “Thrilla in Manila” trunks in 2012), this feels like a solid buy and possibly a weak price for the seller.
Apollo 11 flight plan and recovery requirements
Price: $842.78
Rovell: Apollo 11 flight plans aren’t rare. They usually sell in the $1,000 range. But this one is much cooler. It has the name of the person it was for — Dr. Archibald Jernigan — stapled on the front. I’ve never seen that before.
Then there are the more rare recovery requirements books that stipulate the order of events when the module splashes down in the water. It appears to be mostly unused for a reason. The seller says Jernigan was the backup doctor on this mission. To get this for $843 is a steal.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.