It seems that we can't go longer than a couple of days without a new piece of Apple history selling for a huge sum at auction, and the latest example of that is an iconic Apple-1 computer selling for almost a quarter of a million dollars.
This particular Apple-1 is signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and comes with an array of accessories and paraphernalia including a photograph of Wozniak signing the computer back in 2017.
The whole thing recently sold at auction for a whopping $223,520 after smashing the $200,000 estimate.
That's a lot of money
The lot was sold by RR Auction, the same outfit that also handled the auction of ad copy handwritten by Apple's other co-founder, Steve Jobs. That sold for around $175,000 which was a lot of money, but it's been blown out of the water by this latest auction.
The Apple-1 is fully operational and comes with a custom-built case, keyboard, and power supply and was signed by Woz during a 2017 event at Bryant University. The unit was originally bought by its current owner in 1980 and was apparently in use throughout the decade.
As for what was included in the auction itself, there was plenty for the new owner to look forward to receiving including:
- Original Apple-1 'NTI' board
- Original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI)
- Period aluminum and laminate paneling case featuring a built-in keyboard, with Triad and Stancor transformers
- Modern replicas of the Apple-1 Operation Manual and Apple Basic User Manual
- Period Xerox copy of the Apple-1 Operation Manual
- Compatible RCA video monitor (circa 1987) with Apple-1 video cable
- Photograph of Steve Wozniak signing the board in 2017
While a completely different product from the best Macs Apple sells today, the Apple-1 was a vital part of Apple's history. It was originally designed by the two co-founders to be sold as a bare circuit board that would then be built by the buyer.
