A rare working Apple-1 computer is heading to auction at Bonhams.
Not only is this the world’s earliest personal computer, it’s also the first product from the world’s biggest technology company.
The computer is housed in a specially made walnut case
It’s all the more remarkable when you consider it was conceived and constructed in a garage in Palo Alto, California.
The lot originally belonged to Steve Fish, an early computer enthusiast.
He became interested in computing in the mid-1970s and began taking lessons in BASIC at Computer Playground, a store in Westminster, CA.
When Apple released the Apple-2, the Apple-1 fell in value and Fish was able to pick this one up cheap.
Bonhams’ research indicates this was one of the 50 earliest versions of the Apple-1.
The walnut case, meanwhile, was probably custom made by iconic retailer the Byte Shop.
The record for an Apple-1 stands at $905,000, set for an exceptional specimen at auction in 2014. The buyer was the Henry Ford Museum.
This specimen is expected to sell for around $400,000-600,000 ahead of the December 6 History of Science and Technology sale in New York.
The sale also includes Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s Blue Box, designed for hacking into the telephone system. This was the first project the two collaborated on.
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