A rare Apple-1 computer sold by Steve Jobs heads to auction
An Apple computer that was made in Steve Jobs’ garage in 1976 will hit the auction block next month at Christie’s. The rare find could go for as much as $600,000, according to Reuters.
Called the Ricketts Apple-1 Personal Computer after its original owner Charles Ricketts, the computer is the only known surviving Apple-1 documented as having been sold directly by Jobs. The computer is being sold by Robert Luther, a Virginia collector who bought it in 2004.
According to Andrew McVinish, Christie’s director of decorative arts:
It all started with the Apple-1 and with this particular machine. When you see a child playing with an iPad or iPhone, not too many people know that it all started with the Apple-1,” he added. “So to be able to own a machine that started the digital revolution is a very powerful attraction.
Along with the computer, the winning bidder will receive the canceled check from the original garage purchase on July 27, 1976. The check was made out to Apple Computer by Ricketts for $600, and is labeled “Purchased July 1976 from Steve Jobs in his parents’ garage in Los Altos.” A second canceled check for $193 from Aug. 5, 1976 is labeled “Software NA Programmed by Steve Jobs August 1976.”
The checks were used as evidence for the city of Los Altos to designate the Jobs family home on Crist Drive for eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where it all started
There are less than 50 Apple-1 computers still in existence. One of those was purchased in October by the Henry Ford organization for $905,000, which was twice the pre-sale estimate.
The Ricketts Apple-1 is part of Christie’s The Exceptional Sale on Dec. 11 in New York City.
See also: The Apple Watch is ‘coming in the spring,’ says Apple retail chief Angela Ahrendts, New details about Apple’s long-rumored ‘iPad Pro’ surface, and Apple’s ‘iPhone’ trademark being challenged in India by iVoice Enterprises.