Vintage Apple-1 Fetches Record $905,000 at Auction

One of the first computers Apple ever produced sold for a record $905,000 at auction in New York this week, far surpassing expectations.

The Apple-1, which is still in working condition, is said to be one of the first 50 machines built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in Steve Jobs's family garage in Los Altos, Calif in 1976. Auction house Bonham had expected to sell the vintage computer for anywhere from $300,000 to $500,000, but the near million-dollar price tag makes it the most expensive Apple-1 ever sold at auction.

The buyer, the Henry Ford organization, said it plans to display the relic inside its museum in Dearborn, Michigan.

"Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs put technology directly in the hands of the people with the creation of the Apple-1, completely altering the way we work and live," Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford organization, said in a statement. "The Apple-1 was not only innovative, but it is a key artifact in the foundation of the digital revolution."  

There were only 200 Apple-1 computers ever made and today there are only around 64 known units in existence, with just 15 in working condition. They originally sold for $666.66.

Aside from the Apple-1 motherboard, the Henry Ford organization nabbed a hand-built keyboard interface, power supply, copies of the owner's manual and schematics, a vintage Sanyo monitor, and Apple-1 Cassette Interface.

This is not the first Apple-1 to hit the auction block in recent years. Last year, a working Apple-1 sold for a record $671,000 at an auction in Germany, surpassing the previous record of $640,000 set by the same auction house in November. Before that, Sotheby's in New York sold one for $374,500.

As the story goes, Jobs and Wozniak back in 1976 convinced Paul Terrell, the owner of electronics retail chain Byte Shop, to sell the home computer in his stores. Terrell ordered 50 Apple-1 motherboards at $500 each, provided Jobs and Wozniak delivered them fully assembled rather than as DIY kits, a huge departure from other hobbyist computers of the time.

Jobs and Wozniak famously invested all their money in the Apple-1. Jobs sold his VW Westphalia campervan, while Wozniak sold his HP-65 calculator to finance the project. The duo soon moved on to designing and selling other models, but the Apple-1 represents the original seed of the Macs we all know today.

"The opportunity to acquire an Apple-1 is a rare one, given their low production numbers," Kristen Gallerneaux, curator of communication and information technology at Henry Ford, said in a statement. "The likelihood that a unit as complete as this will come up for auction is slender."