CharityBuzz to Auction Off Unique 'Celebration' Apple-1, Could Fetch Up to $1M

During the summer of 1976, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created and sold 175 Apple-1 computers, marking the launch of what is now one of the most valuable, influential companies in the world. Only 60 or so of those original machines are still in existence, fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.

This Monday, auction site CharityBuzz is set to auction off one of the rarest Apple-1 computers, which could fetch up to a million dollars.

apple1celebrationauctioncharitybuzz
Dubbed the "Celebration" Apple-1 by computer historian Corey Cohen, the machine CharityBuzz will sell features a blank "green" PCB board that was never sold to the public and was not part of a known production run. CharityBuzz describes it as an original Apple-1 ACI cassette board, pre-NTI, with Robinson Nugent sockets, a period correct power supply, and an early Apple-1 BASIC cassette labeled and authenticated by original Apple employee Daniel Kottke.

celebrationapple1
It also comes with original Apple-1 manuals, original marketing materials, and Apple-1 and Apple-1 ACI Cassette Board schematics, described as the "most complete documentation set" of all known Apple-1 boards.

According to Steve Wozniak, Co-Founder of Apple, "Only a few Apple I's, on blank (not green) PC boards, may have been manually soldered, although I'm not sure of it. We arranged the wave soldering with the company that made the PC boards. But we may not have wanted to wave solder a run (of maybe 10 or more board) until we manually soldered one or two to debug them."

The Apple-1 is not in working condition but could be restored to full functionality with minor tweaks, something Cohen recommends against in order to preserve the board's uniqueness. "The Apple-1 board is a not just a piece of history, but a piece of art," he says.

apple1board
CharityBuzz's auction will kick off this Monday, July 25, and will last through August 25. Interested bidders or those who want to follow the auction can check out the auction landing page, which features a countdown to kickoff and full details on the Celebration Apple-1.


The Celebration Apple-1 will be on display at the Vintage Computer Festival West, set to take place on August 6 and 7 at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California. CharityBuzz believes the Apple-1 could fetch up to $1 million, which would be one of the highest prices an Apple-1 has sold for at auction. Ten percent of proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Top Rated Comments

MartinAppleGuy Avatar
100 months ago
Report states that it's still more likely to get 7th gen Intel CPUs before other Macs...
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
100 months ago
So taking the necessary steps to make this board functional actually reduces it's value? Yeesh.
Sometimes it's better not to try to "fix" or "improve" something just because it's old. Remember this one?

Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Benjamin Frost Avatar
100 months ago
Today's Macs haven't been updated for so long, they could almost be included with this auction as vintage pieces.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RichTeer Avatar
100 months ago
I'm waiting for the iFixit tear down before I place my bid. For $1M+, that thing had better be end-user repairable!
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
100 months ago
If MacRumors had a limited-issue 1987 newspaper publication, you just know the opinions section would be full of people complaining that you can't solder new capacitors into the latest Macs.

"Steve wouldn't have allowed this!" (probably more apt in 1987 than now…)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nutjob Avatar
100 months ago
Hmm, more overpriced and underpowered Apple hardware.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 16 Camera Lozenge 2 Perspective Gray

Five Key Upgrades Coming to iPhone 16

Friday March 15, 2024 1:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, and it gets an update every year. In 2024, we're expecting the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro lineup, with an arguably more interesting feature set than we got with the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Capture Button All four iPhone 16 models are set to get a whole new button, which will be...
When To Expect New iPads Feature 1

Apple to Announce New iPads on March 26, Rumors Claim

Monday March 18, 2024 4:02 am PDT by
Apple is widely expected to release new iPad Air and OLED iPad Pro models in the next few weeks. According to new rumors coming out of Asia, the company will announce its new iPads on Tuesday, March 26. Chinese leaker Instant Digital on Weibo this morning 日发布%23">claimed that the date will see some sort of announcement from Apple related to new iPads, but stopped short of calling it an...
airpods 3 orange

Two New AirPods 4 Models Expected to Launch in September or October

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:56 am PDT by
Apple suppliers will begin production of two new fourth-generation AirPods models in May, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Based on this production timeframe, he expects the headphones to be released in September or October. Gurman expects both fourth-generation AirPods models to feature a new design with better fit, improved sound quality, and an updated charging case with a USB-C...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 Expected to Depreciate Heavily

Tuesday March 12, 2024 9:04 am PDT by
Resale value trends suggest the iPhone SE 4 may not hold its value as well as Apple's flagship models, according to SellCell. According to the report, Apple's iPhone SE models have historically depreciated much more rapidly than the company's more premium offerings. The third-generation iPhone SE, which launched in March 2022, experienced a significant drop in resale value, losing 42.6%...
iOS 17 Passkey With Apple ACCOUNT Feature

'Apple ID' Expected to Change to 'Apple Account' Starting With iOS 18

Sunday March 17, 2024 7:13 am PDT by
MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to rebrand "Apple ID" to "Apple Account" across its software platforms and websites like iCloud.com as early as this year, and now Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has corroborated this change. A mockup of the new Apple Account branding In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said the new "Apple Account" branding will start to be used later this...
General iOS 17 Feature Orange Purple

iOS 17.4.1 Update for iPhone is Imminent

Monday March 18, 2024 5:27 am PDT by
iOS 17.4.1 and iPadOS 17.4.1 should be released within the next few days, with a build number of 21E235, according to a source with a proven track record. MacRumors previously reported that Apple was internally testing iOS 17.4.1. As a minor update for the iPhone, it will likely address software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. It is unclear if the update will include any other changes. ...
M3 iPad Feature 3

New iPads Likely to Begin Shipping in April

Monday March 18, 2024 9:52 am PDT by
Apple's new iPad Pro models with OLED displays will likely begin shipping to customers in April, according to information shared today by Ross Young, CEO of display industry research firm Display Supply Chain Consultants. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman also said the new iPad Pro models might not ship until "deeper" into April in his Power On newsletter on Sunday:I've repeatedly said that new...