This isn’t just any Apple-1 unit. This is the only known Apple-1 still around that has been sold by none other than former Apple CEO Steve Jobs himself. According to Christie’s, the organizing auction house, Jobs cut a deal with a Charles Ricketts on July 27, 1976, and got a $600 check in exchange for the computer.
The cancelled check will be part of the package at the auction as well, alongside the fully working 4KB memory-boasting machine. Yes, that’s 4KB, as in kilobytes. Not MB, and definitely not GB.
The contraption has no real-life purpose anymore, other than to possibly decorate the living room of some eccentric Apple-loving high-roller. We can’t help but wonder whether a museum or tech-focused art foundation will get the winning bid at Christie’s inaugural “Exceptional Sale” in New York’s Rockefeller Center on December 11.
The last time a functional Apple-1 was auctioned off, The Henry Ford organization snatched it just a couple of weeks ago for the record-setting sum of $905,000. As unbelievable as that may sound, we have every reason to expect a new milestone to be crossed.
Christie’s might choose to be cautious, and appraise the Jobs-sold computer somewhere between $400,000 and $600,000. Hence, it’s extremely likely that we’ll see someone cough up one million dollars at the event. It’s possible that it will go for even more, since the touch of Apple’s now-deceased founding father is sure to add some value to the device.
The history of this particular Apple-1 model is quite interesting. The original buyer apparently hawked it in 1999 to a rich entrepreneur named Bruce Waldack. Five years later, it was auctioned off again at a sheriff’s sale of Waldack’s possessions, where it was acquired by collector Bob Luther.
In case you’re wondering, the Apple-1 computer was tested by expert Corey Cohen last month, and it was found to run Microsoft Basic without a hitch, as well as an original Apple-1 Star Trek game.
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