A restored Apple-1 in good working order might see a winning bid of $485,000 in an upcoming auction. That’s not just because the antique computer is nearly all original and actually works. It’s also because Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak signed it.
Restored, working Apple-1 signed by Steve Wozniak could go for $485,000 at auction
Experts predict a restored Apple-1 computer made in 1976, and in working order, could go for as much as $485,000 in an auction. That’s partly because Wozniak signed it for its current owner, Jimmy Grewal. He founded The APPL Collection private museum in Dubai.
We’ve seen Apple-1 computers — the company’s first machine — sell for high bids at auction recently. But, as desirable as those were, none of them had this one’s big selling point — that its designer, Wozniak, autographed its CPU.
“I began collecting vintage Apple products in 1995 while studying at Duke University,” Grewal said. “But my interest in Apple and its products actually began forty years ago in Dubai when my parents purchased our first Apple computer.”
Grewal added that this particular Apple-1 — number 89 — still includes nearly all of its original components. In the computer’s long history, an executive at Schlumberger Overseas S.A. in New York bought it and a second Apple-1 before taking them to Europe.
For that reason, the machine is known as the “Schlumberger 2.” It is considered to be one of the first two Apple products used outside of North America.
One of a kind
And better yet, experts think it’s the only Apple-1 bearing Wozniak’s signature. He signed it on its Motorola 6502 processor when he met Grewal in Dubai in 2021.
“Today our collection includes nearly 200 Apple computers as well as numerous accessories and memorabilia,” Grewal said. “The proceeds from the sale of this Apple-1 will be used to create more opportunities for the public to see the collection; either in the form of pop-up exhibitions or by the establishment of a permanent venue where it can be more easily appreciated by the public.”
The auction will be live on eBay for 10 days beginning June 2 at 9 a.m. PDT. The APPL Collection’s website will post a link to the auction page.
