Steve Jobs’ Apple-1 computer prototype sells at auction for more than $500,000
22 August, 2022
Steve Jobs’ original Apple-1 computer prototype has sold at an auction for $677,196.
Regarded as an example of the computer that started it all, the prototype was hand-soldered by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in 1976.
It was auctioned by RR Auction of Boston along with a host of other Jobs-related memorabilia.
The prototype was used by Jobs to demonstrate the Apple-1 to Paul Terrell, owner of the Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the first personal computer shops in the world. The demonstration led to Apple's first big order and instead of a $40 do-it-yourself kit for hobbyists, they set about producing a fully assembled personal computer to be sold at $666.66.
The product description highlighted the apparent use of Mr Wozniak's 'three-handed' technique — wire in one hand, soldering iron in the other, and solder held in his mouth — with tight bubbles formed at the soldered connections.
“There is no Apple-1 without this board — it’s the holy grail of Steve Jobs and Apple memorabilia,” Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction, told Bloomberg.
The buyer of the item was not immediately revealed.
RR Auction sold an Apple-1 computer in September 2018 for $375,000, while Dubai-based collector Jimmy Grewal sold an Apple-1 computer signed by Mr Wozniak for $340,100 at an auction.
Other Apple-related items to sell this week include a Steve Jobs business card for $9,518, a 1983 Macintosh introduction plan and logo leaflet for $9,635, a Steve Jobs signed 1971 high school yearbook for $22,728, and a 1976 Apple tax exemption card signed by Jobs for $26,095.
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Source: www.thenationalnews.com