Bonhams

Two 'Bonhams' stories May 2014 - September 2015

Another working Apple I being auctioned, expected to sell for upwards of half a million dollars

An original Apple I is being auctioned by Bonhams in New York in October, and is expected to sell for upwards of half a million dollars, reports Quirker. It has been authenticated as one of the first 50 constructed by Steve Wozniak in Steve Jobs’ garage, and is said to be fully working and in fantastic condition.

Corey Cohen, Apple-1 expert and member of the Board of Directors for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists Museum said: “It’s in incredible condition. It’s nearly 40 years old, next year. It’s one of the best condition Apple-1s we’ve ever seen – not just at auction, but at any physical place at all.”

The machine is believed to be one of only six original Apple I computers in working order, a previous one selling in 2013 for $671k. Owner Tom Romkey sold a previous Apple I in 2014 for a world record £564k ($857k).

This model was apparently traded in at a computer shop by the original owner, who had used it only once and didn’t like it. Bonhams auctioneer Cassandra Hatton described the trade-in as “probably the worst financial transaction in history” – though we’d have to disagree.

That would probably be the third Apple cofounder, Ron Wayne, selling his 10% of the company back to the two Steves for $800 – stock that would now be worth billions. Even the original founding contract for Apple Computer sold back in 2011 for $1.6M.

Fancy a piece of Apple history? Apple’s original rainbow logo signs being auctioned

Apple’s rainbow logo was the symbol of the company from 1977 to 1998, and two of the signs that originally adorned the company’s Cupertino HQ are now being auctioned by Bonhams. They were given to an unnamed “longstanding Apple employee” when they were removed from the building.

The larger of the two signs measures 49×46 inches and is made from 1.5-inch thick foam with vinyl stripes. The smaller version is 36x33x6 inches, made from metal-backed fiberglass, again with vinyl colors.

Although generally thought of as the original Apple logo, the very first version was in fact an intricate drawing of Isaac Newton sitting under a tree with an Apple above his head.

The famous rainbow design was created a year later by Rob Janoff, who says on his website that it was the only logo concept shown to Steve Jobs, and was created in two weeks. The colors were designed to make Apple products look user-friendly, to make them attractive to school-children and to emphasize the Apple II’s unique color display.

Apple briefly switched to a translucent blue logo in 1998 before adopting a monochrome one later the same year, a white aqua version in 2001 and a Chrome variant in 2007.