Functioning Apple I with original packaging could sell for $500K
Yet another working model of the first computer that Apple ever produced is going on auction, this time with its full packaging in a lot that could fetch north of half a million dollars.
Germany's AuctionTeamBreker, the group behind the record-breaking auction of another Apple I in December, is ,a href="http://www.breker.com/Read More/">now offering yet another Apple I, this time from among the first batch of 50 computers for Apple's first client, the Byte Shop. "No. 46," as Breker's site calls the device, is signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and it will come with its original software and its original box.
Each Apple I originally sold for $666.66, and Wozniak designed and built roughly 200 total units. Of those, only a few remain in functional condition today. Earlier this year, another Wozniak-signed model sold at Christie's for #387,000. The record was another working model, sold in December of last year for $640,000.
AuctionTeamBreker will sell the device on November 16 of this year. The team estimates that it will catch between $300,000 and $500,000 at auction, though its listing admits the total could go higher. The team is also offering a prototype Twiggy Drive Macintosh from 1983, signed by early Apple employee Daniel Kottke. That unit is expected to sell for between $50 000 and $90,000.
Germany's AuctionTeamBreker, the group behind the record-breaking auction of another Apple I in December, is ,a href="http://www.breker.com/Read More/">now offering yet another Apple I, this time from among the first batch of 50 computers for Apple's first client, the Byte Shop. "No. 46," as Breker's site calls the device, is signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and it will come with its original software and its original box.
Each Apple I originally sold for $666.66, and Wozniak designed and built roughly 200 total units. Of those, only a few remain in functional condition today. Earlier this year, another Wozniak-signed model sold at Christie's for #387,000. The record was another working model, sold in December of last year for $640,000.
AuctionTeamBreker will sell the device on November 16 of this year. The team estimates that it will catch between $300,000 and $500,000 at auction, though its listing admits the total could go higher. The team is also offering a prototype Twiggy Drive Macintosh from 1983, signed by early Apple employee Daniel Kottke. That unit is expected to sell for between $50 000 and $90,000.
Comments
Why would anyone buy this? The 27" iMac is only $1,799 and the new Mac Pro is about to be released. Those blow this out of the water in geekbench ratings!
Why would anyone buy this? The 27" iMac is only $1,799 and the new Mac Pro is about to be released. Those blow this out of the water in geekbench ratings!
They aren't buying them to use them, they are buying them to show off how rich they are so they can brag that they paid X amount of money for one of the earliest Apple's and paid an exorbinent amount of money for it.
They aren't buying them to use them
........ seriously?
I wonder what a mint IBM PC from that era would go for? How about an Amiga, or TRS-80, or Commodore, or the other "better personal computers that were around for years before Apple copied them" as the usual suspects would claim? What would those go for in auctions? Not much it would seem.
A PDP-8, a Micral-N, an original Amiga Loraine or an Amiga 5000 prototype will set you back several thousand today...
Of course it's all perceived value and prices depend entirely on demand.
Collectors, collect...
Somewhere in storage, I have an Apple I manual, an Apple ][ Redbook, and lots of Apple Posters.*
* We'd have these framed an hang them in our stores... Most of these were provided to Apple resellers as promotional material. However, Apple also made limited-edition, internal posters that often spoofed the competition -- similar to this:
Other collectable memorabilia included pins:
http://www.ebay.com/bhp/apple-computer-lapel-pin
But, by far, the most desirable collectables were the T-Shirts published by Apple and all the other tech companies in Silicon Valley.
My late wife had a collection of these T-Shirts that she wore all the time... Sigh!
A PDP-8, a Micral-N, an original Amiga Loraine or an Amiga 5000 prototype will set you back several thousand today...
Of course it's all perceived value and prices depend entirely on demand.
When something that is rare it can SOMETIMES, become a collectable status and it goes up in value and depending on other things that go along with it, it can be of historical value as well, but not always. Look at a 1959 Les Paul, in mint shape, they can reach upwards of $500K or more and they sold new for a few hundred dollars, but they can be used as what they were intended for. But it's the rarity since only a few thousand were made.
Computers are actually doing the same thing, to a certain extent. Baseball cards have some level of collectibility, Hot Wheels, etc. as well.
I had a Apple II+ growing up with a C/PM card w/Wordstar that my father bought from Bill Gates PERSONALLY and he had the reciept to it, but he didn't give me the receipt, I think he might have thrown that out after a number of years before he gave me the computer. Had i kept it, and had everything in perfect condition, I'm sure that might fetch a decent amount of money and most of it due to the receipt with Bill's handwriting. It actually would go up in value after BIll passes away, but unfortunately, I'll never know how much since I recycled that computers YEARS ago, which help make others that still exist worth a little more since there is one less unit in existence.
It's unbelievable how much people will pay for things. You should look into the vintage toy market. Those little toys from 50+ years ago are getting more valuable and what's sometimes worth more than the toy itself is the packaging. Imagine that, a little paper box can be worth MORE than the actual toy inside. Most people throw away the packaging.
Rarity, demand, condition, and any other special aspects of the item can increase or decrease the item's value. If it had a signature, receipt, or some special note written by the owner, designer, etc. can also increase value.
I laughed at your humor. Some people here are not too quick are they? LOL
I just vacuumed my Mac IIfx and changed the Li batteries and it works like a charm. I wonder how long I will have to wait for it to appreciate? :smokey: It cost me going on $12,000 back in the day (yes it was fully the loaded version).
Sorry for your loss.
BTW I just found the glass mouse on the black wood base we dealers were given along with the first Mac Plus.
This was made in Steve Jobs' garage. The new stuff is from a factory in China.
I think he was being funny
I suspect they are buying for them to increase in value or retain value, same reason people invest in anything. If you have lots of money, it makes sense to diversify your assets.
It would have to be rare. There were only 200 Apple I machines and all hand-built.
I suspect they are buying for them to increase in value or retain value, same reason people invest in anything. If you have lots of money, it makes sense to diversify your assets.
It would have to be rare. There were only 200 Apple I machines and all hand-built.
If I had an extra $500K burning a hole in my pocket and I wanted something special to brag about, it would be this and it's available USED for $220,000, so I would STILL have money left over to buy something else, like an AMG.