Early Apple-1 Computer Prototype Used By Steve Jobs Goes Up For Auction

An early prototype of an Apple-1 Computer is now up for auction, and expected to fetch over $500,000. 

The device is currently up for sale(Opens in a new window) at RR Auction, where early bids are already reaching past $200,000. What makes this particular model special is that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs used it to demo the Apple-1’s capabilities back in 1976. 

Specifically, Jobs showed the prototype to Paul Terrell, the owner of Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the first computer stores in the world. Byte Shop would then go off to sell an early batch of the Apple-1 Computers. 

(RR Auction)

RR Auction says it was able to confirm the system’s authenticity by looking at old Polaroid photos Terrell took of the machine back in 1976, which were later published(Opens in a new window) in Time Magazine. An Apple computer historian Corey Cohen(Opens in a new window) has also verified the machine’s legitimacy.

In addition, the model up for auction has a unique “Apple Computer A” name etched on the printed circuit board, instead of the standard Apple Computer 1 labeling. 

(RR Auction)

“This prototype resided on the ‘Apple Garage(Opens in a new window)‘ property for many years before being given by Steve Jobs to its current owner approximately 30 years ago,” RR Auction said. 

However, the Apple-1 prototype isn’t in the best condition. Even before it was handed off, Jobs removed several components, including the microprocessor, from the device, which were likely repurposed for other Apple-1 Computers, RR Auction said. 

The system’s printed circuit board then broke at some point, “resulting in a crack that runs from adjacent to the power supply area.” Unfortunately, the separated piece, which contained the bright “Sprague Atom capacitors” was discarded. 

Apple-1 Computers are already exceedingly rare since the company only made about 200 of them. However, the system up for sale at RR Auction promises to hold even more historical significance over the rest, despite its poor condition.   

“Another important characteristic of this prototype is that it appears to have been hand-soldered by Steve Wozniak, whose unusual ‘three handed’ technique—wire in one hand, soldering iron in the other, and solder held in his mouth—is evident in the tight ‘bubbles’ formed at the soldered connections,” RR Auction added. 

The auction for the computer will end on August 18th.