An Apple museum could be made of just the items currently up for bid at a single auction. There’s a fully functional Apple-1, an Apple Lisa 1, some technical notes handwritten by Steve Jobs, an original iPhone still sealed in the plastic and much, more.
Many of these items are expected to bring in big bucks.
Apple-1 signed by Steve Wozniak
When Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak first got together, their initial project was the Apple-1. Buyers with deep pockets can buy a piece of that history, as a demo unit of the original is up for auction.
“This computer was initially used as a demonstration system at the Data Domain computer store in Columbus, Indiana, in 1977,” according to RR Auction, which is handling the sale.
Apple-1 units come up for auction occasionally and bidding always zooms way up. This one is expected to sell for $500,000 or more.
An Apple Lisa 1, too
Photo: RR Auction
The auction includes more than one rare Apple computer. There’s also a Lisa 1 from the first production build. This was presented to Del Yocam, Apple’s first COO. It bears an engraved presentation plate on the front.
The computer is expected to sell for $65,000.
Handwritten notes by Steve Jobs
Photo: RR Auction
If your Apple museum needs something specifically by Steve Jobs, the current RR Auction includes notes written by the Apple co-founder. These are “early handwritten technical instructions and schematic annotations by Steve Jobs from circa 1971,” according the the auction company.
They’re expected to go for $10,000 and up. Possibly keeping the price down is the fact that they are unsigned.
Applesoft ROM Chip signed by Steve Jobs
To add something that is signed, there’s an unusual item in RR Auction’s collection.
It’s a “Steve Jobs-signed Applesoft ROM chip, the remarkable original Applesoft ROM chip used in the Apple II Plus computer systems of the early 1980s, signed across the bottom on a thin sliver of tape in black ink by the company’s legendary co-founder,” says the auction house.
Experts say the item will go for $50,000 or more. RR Auction calls it, “undoubtedly one of the most unique and desirable Steve Jobs autographs in existence.”
Prototype Macintosh 128K with carrying case
The ongoing auction also includes a Macintosh 128K prototype — a pre-production unit of the very first Mac. This comes in a “rare custom-made carrying case given to a limited number of Apple employees,” according to RR Auction.
The estimated selling price for this item is $12,000.
Original iPhone still in the packaging
Ordinarily, the sale of a first-generation iPhone still sealed in the original shipping plastic is big news all on its own. But RR Auction is offering up so many Apple-related items at once that this handset is somewhat lost in the rush.
The seller says “he purchased this phone upon its release in 2007 but received one through work as an Apple employee; this spare was never opened,” according to the auction company.
The handset will likely go for $20,000 and up. Another factory-sealed 2007 iPhone sold earlier this week for over $63,000.
And more. Lots more.
Other Apple-related items that are part of the ongoing auction include:
- Steve Jobs Signed 1976 Apple Computer Check
- Steve Jobs Apple Business Card (c. 1983)
- Steve Jobs NeXT Business Card
- Apple-1 Computer Heat Sink
- Apple-1 Computer Connector and Cable
- Apple IIe Computer with Apple III Monitor
- Del Yocam’s Apple IIGS Woz Edition
- Del Yocam’s Special Edition Apple IIGS with Original Box
- Del Yocam’s Apple IIGS Woz Edition with Original Box
- Del Yocam’s One Millionth Macintosh Plus
- Apple Computer Stock Certificate
The Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution auction by RR Auction began on February 17 and will conclude on March 16.
