A new lot of Apple memorabilia is up for grabs at RR Auction starting today. Included in the new Science and Technology auction is a functional Apple-1 ‘Byte Shop’ computer hand-numbered by Steve Jobs, a Tim Cook-signed football, and more.
Update 12/16: The winning bidder claimed this rare Apple-1 for $442,118. Meanwhile, the Tim Cook-signed football went for $5,681.
The most rare Apple item for auction is the fully functional Apple-1 computer. It’s a Byte Shop-style version of the machine “complete with all components and accessories required for operation.”
The board was numbered “01-00002” by Steve Jobs himself and the technical condition report was prepared by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen.
Bidding is open now with expectations for the auction to surpass $375,000.
Another item up for auction is an Auburn University football signed by alumnus Apple CEO Tim Cook. That’s estimated to garner $1,000+.
A range of more affordable replicas and signed items by Steve Wozniak are also available in the auction.
Here’s the full description of this unique Apple-1:
Sought-after functional, high-grade Apple-1 ‘Byte Shop’ computer hand-numbered by Steve Jobs
An amazing, fully functional later production ‘Byte Shop’-style Apple-1 computer (also commonly known as the Apple I, or Apple Computer 1), complete with all components and accessories required for operation.
The set includes:
• original Apple-1 board, marked in the hand of Steve Jobs with stock number “01-00002”
• original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI)
• original Apple-1 Operation Manual
• two original Apple Cassette Interface manuals
• a period surplus ASCII keyboard
• a period ‘open frame’ Sanyo 4205 video monitor
• a new period-style power supply with original Apple-1 power cable and connector
• period cassette interface cables
This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original, operational state in June 2018 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, and a video of it running and functioning is available upon request. 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 again 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. Accompanied by a full letter of authenticity from PSA/DNA for Jobs’ handwriting on the board. That Jobs numbered these himself is a recent revelation in the Apple-1 world. This computer is listed as #78 in the Apple-1 Registry, and was originally sold by RR Auction in 2018.
The Apple-1 was originally conceived by Steve Jobs and Steve ‘Woz’ Wozniak as a bare circuit board to be sold as a kit and completed by electronics hobbyists, their initial market being Palo Alto’s Homebrew Computer Club. Seeking a larger audience, Jobs approached Paul Terrell, owner of The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the first personal computer stores in the world. Aiming to elevate the computer beyond the realm of the hobbyist, 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 which did not require soldering by the end user. All together, over a span of about ten months, Jobs and Wozniak produced about 200 Apple-1 computers and sold 175 of them.
The later production ‘Byte Shop’-style of this Apple-1 is indicated by discrete component dates which match other known Apple-1 boards of similar vintage, assembled and sold by Apple in the fall of 1976 and early 1977. On the left side, the board is marked: “Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, Ca. Copyright 1976.” Unlike many of the known Apple-1 boards, this unit has not had any modifications to the physical board, and the prototype area is clean and unused. The Apple-1 is not only 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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