Apple-1 Computer Hand-Numbered by Steve Jobs Expected to Fetch Over $375,000 at Auction

[MacRumors]

Apple-1 computers are the ultimate collector's item for Apple fans, and they often sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars due to their rarity. RR Auction is this month selling a functional Apple-1 computer that was hand-numbered by Steve Jobs, and the site expects the machine to fetch upwards of $375,000.

There were just 200 Apple-1 computers produced by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak back in 1976, and it is believed that only 60 to 70 remain. The Apple-1 that's up for auction is listed as #78. The machine was initially sold at auction in 2018 after it was restored to its original operational state by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen.

When it was sold in 2018, the buyer paid $375,000, so it could potentially go for even more this time around. At the current time, bids have reached $220,000.

This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original operational state by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen. A comprehensive, technical condition report prepared by Cohen is available to qualified bidders; he evaluated the condition of the unit as 8.5/10, and confirmed the computer's functionality in August 2022. The most remarkable aspect of this Apple-1 computer is that it is documented to be fully operational: the system was operated without fault for approximately eight hours in a comprehensive test.

There is a letter of authenticity that confirms Jobs' handwriting on the board, and it includes the original Apple-1, original Apple Cassette Interface, original operation manual, a surplus ASCII keyboard from the same time period, and an open frame Sanyo 4205 monitor.

Various Apple-1 computers that have surfaced on auction sites over the years have sold for between $130,000 and $815,000 depending on the history of the machine, the included components, and the condition. The auction for the #78 Apple-1 will end on December 15, 2022.

Article Link: Apple-1 Computer Hand-Numbered by Steve Jobs Expected to Fetch Over $375,000 at Auction

 

[macduke]

How much can I get for a Pentium?

 

[BGPL]

The iPod going to the audio expansion board via 3.5mm audio cable is intriguing.

 

[EightyEight]

How much can I get for a Pentium?

If Steve Jobs signed it, way more than $375,000.

 

[Mr. Dee]

How many more of these are we gonna find? Next, it will be Apple I found in Steve’s attic in the card board box behind the bookshelf.

 

[JM]

Why are all the Apple-1’s busted open like this?

Were they sold as open mother boards?

 

[SnappleRumors]

I appreciate collectables but they’re subjective. I wouldn’t spend a dime on that unless it could be turned within a week for a profit.

 

[Andronicus]

That means it will go for a million.

 

[AgentOSX]

AppleCare is $129,000 extra.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I am so happy I waited until the Apple II came out. It was a huge upgrade over that.

 

[yossi]

I am so happy I waited until the Apple II came out. It was a huge upgrade over that.

I waited for the II PRO MAX

 

[BWhaler]

My guess is it sells closer to 800k

 

[crees!]

I was in Apple Store Fair Oaks (Virginia) the other day and there was an older man talking to an employee there saying how he had Apple II’s of all varieties and such. Then he said he also had an Apple I and asked how much was it worth. The Apple employee asked for clarification. Right, mind blown. Anyways a few minutes later another employee came out with a card and contact number for him. That’s all I was able to get and thought it was pretty neat.

 

[ILoveCalvinCool]

Why are all the Apple-1’s busted open like this?

Were they sold as open mother boards?

Yes, they were.

 

[ILoveCalvinCool]

My guess is it sells closer to 800k

I can't believe something like this would really sell for a few hundred thousand dollars when people are paying millions for completely worthless NFTs.

 

[Shirasaki]

Well, for most people, spending about $1500-$2000 to build a new Apple 1 with current off-the-shelf parts would be the most economical way to relive the authentic Apple 1 experience, rather than auctioning a functional one.
And I doubt whoever buys this wanna use it in any way, shape or form. More as a display piece or something.

Why are all the Apple-1’s busted open like this?

Were they sold as open mother boards?

Computer case was not a common concept back then and every Apple 1 doesn’t come with any case. Arguably easier to tinker with too.

 

[drumcat]

Interesting to see the 80% keyboard was a hit back then. ins/del/home/end/pgup/pgdn your days are numbered…

 

[Wanted797]

Can it run Crysis?

 

[svish]

Will fetch high amounts for sure.

 

[v0lume4]

Interesting to see the 80% keyboard was a hit back then. ins/del/home/end/pgup/pgdn your days are numbered…

I actually use all of those keys (sans the Insert key) on the regular. I wonder if I'm one of the few. Not something that usually comes up at the dinner table so I have no way to know. 😄

 

[MonkeyDavid]

Pretty cool. The Apple I sold for $666.66, so it could go for 562 times the initial price (and did in 2018).
Nice return, but if you put $666.66 into Apple stock when it IPO'd in 1980, that stock would be worth $950,303 now (1425 times), plus the dividends you would have earned over the years...

 

[SoldOnApple]

What a rip off. You could probably get a fully specced Mac Pro for a little more.

 

[Will Co]

The iPod going to the audio expansion board via 3.5mm audio cable is intriguing.

Quite a few early home computers could store data as modulation on an audio frequency carrier which could be recorded onto a cassette tape and played back later.

I don’t know if this machine had that feature, but if so it could be that - a way to load programs - which have now been encoded to MP3 for convenience.

 

[macduke]

I waited for the II PRO MAX

The III Ultra is where it’s gonna be at.

 

[ja']

what is going on with the space key, and the return key for that matter????