An historic Apple-1 computer built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in 1976 sold for $750,000 at Bonhams’ History of Science auction in New York on Wednesday, almost double the anticipated auction price. With auction house premiums, the total value of the sale added up to more than $900,000.
The Apple-1 was the first personal computer on the market. The particular item is believed to be one of first 50 devices hand-built by Wozniak in the summer of 1976, when Apple was still a fledgling company housed in Steve Jobs’ garage. According to reports, there are currently only about 15 Apple-1s still in working order.
This piece of technological history, which includes a fully functioning Apple-1 motherboard, a vintage keyboard, the original power supply and a Sanyo monitor, was purchased by the Ford Foundation to display at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Mich.
That’s it for me, I’m not throwing out any more old computers. I’ll put ’em in mothballs and hand ’em down to the next generation of little Hilliers. Who knows, in 30 to 40 years time they may actually be worth a dollar or two. 🙂