A mock-up of what some believe the iPhone 5 to look like, based on case-design leaks.  Image source: MacRumors

You’d think Apple employees would be a little more careful with their precious prototypes after last year.

Apparently a next-gen iPhone prototype has gone missing, this time from San Francisco bar Cava 22, according to CNET. The device was reportedly lost in late July, and Apple scrambled to recover it over the following days. Instead of being bought by Gawker for five grand, this one sold on Craigslist for $200.

An eerily similar incident occurred with the iPhone 4 in April 2010. Redwood City, California, resident Brian J. Hogan found one at a local bar and sold it to Gawker-owned gadget site Gizmodo. Gizmodo staff involved were recently cleared of criminal wrongdoing, but Hogan was charged with two misdemeanors: misappropriation of lost property and possession of stolen property.

A few days after the latest device was initially lost, Apple representatives contacted San Francisco police, according to CNET. They claimed that the lost device was priceless and that they desperately hoped for its safe return back to 1 Infinite Loop.

There are no details as to what the missing phone looked like or what OS it was running, but Apple was able to trace its location back to a home in a nearby San Francisco neighborhood. The residents of the home, including a 22-year-old man who says he was at Cava 22 that night, denied knowledge of the device (even after being offered a cash reward from Apple). They gave permission for the police to search the house, but nothing was found.

Apple did not immediately return a phone call or e-mail request for comment from Wired.com.