$800,000 might snag you Apple’s first computer

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Apple 1 computer
The Apple-1 was Apple's debut computer.
Photo: CharityBuzz

Ever wanted to get hold of Apple’s rarest computer, and have enough cash to purchase a good-sized family home in many parts of the U.S. to buy it with? Then you may be interested in CharityBuzz’s new auction for one of the very first Apple-1 computers ever built.

Originally owned by a friend and associate of Steve Wozniak, Adam Schoolsky, the Apple-1 in question is one of less than 60 believed to still in existence.

The Apple computer that started it all

According to the auction’s organizers, the “Schoolsky” Apple-I is an original Apple-I “NTI” board initially, acquired by Adam Schoolsky when he was an employee of Apple. It comes with:

Apple-I original Operation Manual
Apple original Basic Users Manual
Apple-I original Cassette Interface Manual
Apple-I original cassette (dis-assembler)
Apple-I original advertisement
Apple-I original box
Apple original price list, 1977
Miscellaneous correspondence between LCF Group and Adam Schoolsky
Three original issues of Silicon Gulch Gazette (1976 – 1978) addressed to Adam Schoolsky
Original copy, in mint condition, of the 40-page First West Coast Computer Faire Conference Program dated April 15-17, 1977
Early copy of the Zaltair brochure, created by Steve Wozniak and Adam Schoolsky as a spoof document to be distributed at the First West Coast Computer Faire Conference
Apple ][+ Keyboard with Apple-I adapter
Stancor power supply transformers

The current record price for an Apple-1 was set in 2014 at a Bonhams History of Science auction in New York City. That computer fetched a whopping $910,000, despite early estimates predicting it would go for between $300,000 and $500,000.

More recently, the value of Apple-1 computers has fallen, suggesting that the crazy numbers some were going for were related to a spike in prices following Steve Jobs’ death. Back in May this year, a rare functioning Apple-1 computer sold for $112,000 at auction in Berlin — considerably less than the predicted $200,000-$334,000 auctioneers expected it to fetch.

This Apple-1 has a guide price of $800k which, if reached, would certainly be a nice return for its seller. While definitely pricey, if you’ve got the money to spend, this is definitely one of the nicer Apple-1 computers we’ve covered — particularly since it comes with so much original documentation.

You can place a bid here. The auction will conclude on Tuesday, September 26 at 3pm EDT. The current top bid is $140,000.

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