Starting today, RR Auction will be offering new collectibles. A hand-numbered working Apple-1 “Byte Shop” computer by Steve Jobs is available for sale, along with a football signed by Tim Cook himself.
The fully functional Apple-1 computer is the rarest Apple device to be auctioned. It is a machine “complete with all components and accessories necessary for operation” in Byte Shop’s design.
Steve Jobs himself issued the card number “01-00002”, and Corey Cohen, a specialist in Apple’s first Apple-1 computer, wrote the technical condition report.
The auction is currently available to bid with a bid price of approx. $375,000 or more.
Another item up for auction is an Auburn University football autographed by former Apple CEO Tim Cook. It should fetch over $1000.
The auction also featured a variety of artifacts and replicas signed by Steve Wozniak at fairer prices.
The full description of this special Apple-1 is as follows:
One Incredible fully functional later production “Byte Shop” style Apple-1 computer (also known as the Apple I or Apple Computer 1), complete with all components and accessories necessary for operation.
The set includes:
- original Apple-1 card, hand-stamped by Steve Jobs with stock number “01-00002”
- Original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI)
- original Apple-1 user manual
- two original Apple cassettes Interface Manuals
- a vintage surplus ASCII keyboard
- a vintage open-frame Sanyo 4205 video monitor
- a new vintage-style power supply with the original Apple-1 power cable and connector
- vintage cassette interface cables
This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original operational condition in June 2018 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, and a video of its operation and operation is available upon request. A full technical condition report prepared by Cohen is available to qualified bidders; he rated the condition of the unit as 8.5/10 and again confirmed the functionality of the computer in August 2022.
The most remarkable aspect of this Apple-1 computer is that it is documented to be fully operational: the system ran flawlessly for about eight hours during a comprehensive test. Accompanied by a full PSA/DNA Letter of Authenticity for Jobs writing on the board. That Jobs numbered them himself is a recent revelation in the Apple-1 world. This computer is listed as number 78 in the Apple-1 registry and was originally sold by RR Auction in 2018.
The Apple-1 was originally designed by Steve Jobs and Steve ‘Woz’ Wozniak as a bare circuit board intended to be sold as a kit and completed by electronic hobbyists, their initial market being the Homebrew Computer Club of Palo Alto. Seeking a wider audience, Jobs approached Paul Terrell, owner of The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the world’s first personal computer stores.
Aiming to elevate the computer beyond the hobbyist’s domain, Terrell agreed to purchase 50 Apple-1 computers, but only if they were fully assembled. The Apple-1 thus became one of the first “personal” computers that did not require soldering by the end user. In total, over a period of about ten months, Jobs and Wozniak produced about 200 Apple-1 computers and sold 175.
The later “Byte Shop” production style of this Apple-1 is indicated by discrete component dates that match other known Apple-1 boards of a similar vintage assembled and sold by Apple in the fall of 1976 and early 1977. On the left side the painting is marked: “Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, Ca. Copyright 1976.”
Unlike many known Apple-1 boards, this unit has had no physical board modifications and the prototype area is clean and unused. The Apple-1 is not just a marvel of early computing ingenuity, but the product that launched what is today one of the most valuable and successful companies in the world.
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