Functional Apple-1 Computer Sells for $375,000 at Auction

A rare fully operational Apple-1 computer auctioned off by RR Auction at WeWorks in Boston today fetched a total of $375,000.

The Apple-1 came from a person who purchased the machine from The Byte Shop, the store where Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak originally sold the computers for $666.66. The seller used the Apple-1 to learn BASIC and wrote small programs before he decided to hold onto it because it "could one day be a piece of computing history."

Bobby Livingston, Executive VP of RR Auction said that the company was "thrilled" with the price that the Apple-1 earned.

"We are thrilled at the price achieved and that's why we thought it fitting that the Apple 1 should headline our annual Rare and Remarkable auction-- it's a museum-quality piece that has earned a special place in history."

Apple-1 expert Corey Cohn restored the machine to its original, operational state in June 2018, and the auction included a comprehensive technical condition report prepared by Cohen. Cohen rated the condition of the computer at 8.5/10 after it worked without fault for eight hours during a comprehensive test.

Over the course of the last few years, several Apple-1 computers have surfaced at auction and have sold for $130,000 to $815,000. The Apple-1 that fetched the highest price as known as the "Celebration" Apple-1 and was ultra rare due to its black "green" PCB board that was not sold to the public and was not part of a known production run.

There are an estimated 60 to 70 Apple-1 computers still remaining of the original 200 machines that were designed and built by Jobs and Wozniak.