From May 16, it will be possible to buy a still functioning Apple-1 at Christie’s auction house. The price, however, is not within everyone’s reach
That computer relics are particularly sought after is nothing new. For some time now, old computers, consoles, video games or even smartphones are auctioned off, attracting dozens and dozens of possible buyers and bring in the pockets of sellers tens of thousands of euros. In some cases even more.
Take, for example, an Apple-1 that will be auctioned at the end of the month for an exorbitant sum. The first computer of the house of Cupertino, handmade by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, is still working and complete with user manual and all the accessories designed and built in the late ’70s in California. These peculiarities have made the valuation of the computer rise exponentially: according to the experts of Christie, the auction house that is handling the sale, it could easily exceed the threshold of half a million euros, making the owner rich.
Apple-1 at auction: record valuation
But how come an Apple-1 can be worth so much? It’s easy to say: collectors of old Apple pieces are many all over the world while the very first products of the company founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak are actually a rarity. And the computer that will be auctioned next May 16 is a unique piece, or almost.
The Apple-1 was produced in just 200 examples, hand-assembled by the two young Steves in a Cupertino garage. According to an online registry, the model offered for sale by Christie is the tenth to come off the assembly line of the first Apple. Not only that, according to some estimates, of the initial 200 models, only about eighty have survived, of which 15 are kept in public collections or museums. In short, if it is not a unique piece, it is not very much. As mentioned, in addition to the first computer produced by Apple there are also all the accessories and the original user manuals of the computer in various copies.
In case you are interested in buying, you can find more information about the computer directly on the Christie website and, in case you have a few hundred thousand euros to invest, maybe even think of making an offer. According to the auctioneer, in fact, the final price can easily exceed half a million euros.