One Of The First Apple Computers Has Sold For $905,000

Advertisement

steve jobs steve wosniak john sculley apple computer old apple computer

SAL VEDER/AP/dapd

Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and John Sculley

One of the first Apple computers ever built has sold in New York for $905,000 (€715,000), making it the world's most expensive computer relic, according to Bonhams auction house.

Advertisement

The Apple-1 computer, built by hand in 1976 by Steve Wozniak in Steve Jobs' garage (or possibly his sister's bedroom), fetched nearly twice its pre-sale high estimate, Bonhams said.

It was bought by the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

The museum's representative "triumphantly raised the paddle" after beating competition from a telephone bidder, the auction house said in a statement.

The computer came with an intact motherboard, vintage keyboard, Sanyo monitor, a custom power supply in wooden box and two vintage tape-decks.

Advertisement

Cassandra Hatton, Bonhams senior specialist who ran the auction said, "The provenance on the Apple-1 is excellent and the condition is outstanding, so it was not surprising that it did so well."

The Apple-1 is considered a vanguard of the personal computer revolution, being the first pre-assembled personal computer ever sold.

Bonhams said the lot was one of just 50 hand-built for the ByteShop by Wozniak in the summer of 1976.

Contains reporting from AFP.