A rare, fully functional Apple I computer signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is set to be auctioned off this month, and experts estimate that the piece of computing history will fetch between $260,000 and $400,000. German auction house Breker is handling the event.
The Apple I, at the time known simply as the “Apple Computer,” was the first commercial Apple product sold by company co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Designed with hand-built circuit boards that required customers to purchase or build their own case, the computer went on sale in July 1976 at a unique price of $666.66. About 200 Apple I units were produced and only 6 out of an estimated 40 to 50 surviving units are still functional.
As a result of their rarity and significance in the development of the personal computing industry, Apple I computers have commanded notably high prices at auction. A 2010 auction run by Christie’s in London brought in $210,000, a record that was broken in June 2012 when Sotheby’s auctioned another unit for $374,500. The Sotheby’s record didn’t hold long, however. Breker shattered the record in November 2012 with an unexpectedly high price of $640,000. Various non-working Apple I units have also been sold over the years, with prices at a relatively more reasonable range of $100,000 to $125,000.
The current auction, scheduled for May 25, includes a working Apple I board, original manual, and a letter from Steve Jobs to the computer’s original owner, Fred Hatfield of Computer Data Systems. As mentioned above, the unit also has a clearly visible signature that reads “Woz,” Steve Wozniak’s nickname.
Photographs of the computer can be found on Breker’s website and an accompanying YouTube video, embedded below, shows the unit in operation.
