Original Apple 1 computer heads to auction valued at $125,000
How much you would pay for the computer that started it all for the world’s most popular and most valuable computer company?
If your answer is about $125,000, you’d be in the market for the latest product at Christie’s auction in London.
The Daily Mail reports that an Apple 1 computer is heading to auction and is valued at £80,000, or about $125,000. The best part? This Apple 1 isn’t even functional.
Last June one of the 50 Apple 1 computers sold at an auction for about $375,000. So apparently the difference between operational and non-operational is a quarter of a million dollars.
The Apple 1 certainly is an important part of Apple’s history.
According to the Daily Mail article, late Apple CEO invested all he had to finance Apple’s first-ever computer, including selling his VW van.
Only 200 Apple 1s were ever designed and built by Jobs’ friend and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, but less than 50 now remain.
The Apple 1 originally sold £420, or $666 U.S. and only had 8K of hard drive space. It didn’t even include a keyboard, mouse or monitor. To put things into perspective…
Today you can buy…
• An iPad for $700 that has a 64 GB hard drive.
• A MacBook Air (complete with keyboard, trackpad and screen!) for $1,000.
• An iPhone that can do more than the Apple 1 could ever dream of doing for $200. And you can take it on the go!
The Apple 1 computer description reads:
Operational Apple Computer I. An Apple I motherboard, labeled?on obverse Apple?Computer I, Palo Alto, CA. Copyright 1976. Includes circuit board with four rows A-D, and columns 1-18; MOS Technologies 6502 microprocessor, labeled MCS 6502 3776; video terminal; keyboard interface; 8K bytes RAM in 16-pin 4K memory chips; 4 power supplies including 3 capacitors; firmware in PROMS (A1, A2); low-profile sockets on all integrated circuits; breadboard; heatsink; expansion connector; cassette board connector. (15 1/8 x 9 in.; 385 x 234 mm)
Together with: Apple I Cassette Interface, labeled Apple I Cassette Interface Copyright 1976, partial “G” lettered in triangle on reverse, in black ink manuscript (4 x 2 in.; 102 x 50 mm). — Apple-I Operation Manual. Palo Alto: Apple Computer Company. 12 pp. in wrappers (11 x 8 1/2 in.; 280 x 214 mm), with 8 circuit diagrams, 2 on foldout printed verso and recto, one full page; with original Apple Computer Co. logo on upper wrapper; tear along fold, light staining on wrapper and bottom right corner. — Apple-I Cassette Interface Manual, Palo Alto: Apple Computer Company. Oblong 8 pp. bifolia (8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.; 140 x 215 mm), with some staining to wrappers; original logo on upper wrapper, warranty on?lower wrapper — Preliminary Apple BASIC Users Manual. Palo Alto: Apple Computer Company, October 1976. 8?stapled sheets (11?x 8?1/2 in.;?280?x?214 mm), printed?verso?and recto, with first sheet on?blue?paper?with tear along staple?and?manuscript “Randy J?Suess.”?Some?staining to?first?and?last?page,?with?tear?on?last page. — Double-sided?advertisement with illustration for Apple I?Computer and the?Apple Cassette Interface,?with manuscript?note (11 x?8?1/2 in.; 280 x 214 mm).
