It’s no surprise that Apple’s first computer, the Apple I, has become a relic of the company’s history and the world of computing as a whole – after all, it has been over 40 years since the first units began to be sold. Among the more than 175 sold for more than four decades, only a few dozen exist and fewer units are yet to be in operation, such as the one to be auctioned next month.
As in other cases, the Apple I that will be auctioned went through a restoration process by the specialist and curator Corey Cohen, who authenticated the computer as an original part and evaluated it at 8.5 out of 10 points. The most notable aspect of this machine is that it is fully functional and the system operated without fail for approximately eight hours in a comprehensive test.
The computer will be auctioned on September 25 and it is already possible to follow the bids through the Invaluable website. According to 9to5Mac, bids for this auction are expected to reach up to $ 600k – the highest amount paid for an Apple I so far was $ 905,000 in 2014.
The winning bid will take home, in addition to the original Apple I card:
- An Apple Cassette Interface (ACI);
- The original Apple I operation manual;
Original Apple I manuals
- ASCII keyboard from the Apple I era;
- Sanyo 4205 video monitor;
- Power supply (non-original) in the style used by the Apple I and an original connector;
- Two original ACI manuals.
Last June, another Apple I unit was auctioned by Charitybuzz. Part of the amount collected (total of US $ 210 thousand) was donated to charity. At the time, Cohen rated the computer’s condition at 7 out of 10 points, which raises expectations for the upcoming auction.
Any guess of value? ?
