Apple-1 computer sale $365,000 at Christie's Auction December 11,2014

Apple-1 computer sold for $365,000 at Christie's Auction today.    

Apple 1 sold at Christie's - credit Christie's

The Bob Luther had the only surviving Apple-1 Computer to come with proof that it was personally sold by Steve Jobs sold at Christie's  auction.  The sale included a canceled check made out to 'Apple Computer' in July 1976 for the $600 purchase price. Christie's Auction estimated its value to be between $400,000 and $600,000. The Apple-1 was originally the property of Charles Rickett's, who wrote the check to Apple for $600, along with the words "Purchased 1976 from Steve Jobs in his parents' garage in Los Altos."  This example is the only known surviving Apple-1 documented to have been sold directly by Steve Jobs.

More info about the Christie's Auction 

Bob Luther purchased Charles Rickett's Apple-1 at a Sheriffs sale in December 2004. Bob relates how he read about the sale in a tiny classified ad for an auction in the Washington Post in his book "the first Apple".

Video of this Apple-1 

The Apple-1 computer was designed by Steve Wozniak - Only 200 were manufactured and sold in 1976/77. About 60 are known to still exist in museums and private collections. The previous sale of   Apple 1 computer was in  October of this year at Bonhams Auction  for $905,000. The Henry Ford organization was the buyer at the Bonhams Auction (reported Reuters) , which plans to display the computer in its museum in Dearborn, Michigan.The Auction Team Breker sold and Apple 1 May 25th 2013 for $671,400. Information about other Apple 1 computer sales "CLICK".

Apple 1 computer 

The Apple 1 was not very popular because it was only a computer-on-a-board and the user had to add a keyboard, power transformers, &  display. Steve Wozniak realized he needed a more user friendly computer & started to design the Apple-ll before all the Apple-1's were sold.  The Apple Company took  the Apple-1 computers as a trade in for the much better Apple ll .

Steve Jobs sold his VW and Steve Wozniak sold his HP calculator to start their Apple business.The Apple Company may not have succeed if Steve Jobs had not been successful in selling the first 50 Apple-1 computers to Paul Terrell for his Byte Shop computer stores. This $25,000 sale was the financing needed to get Apple started. It was not easy for the Steve's to interest investors to provide start up funds. One person approached was Stan Veit owner of the first computer store on the East Coast.  Jobs offered a 10 percent ownership of the Apple Company if Stan would invest $10,000. Stan turned the offer down with the idea that his money was better used in his own "Computer Mart" in New York. The interesting stories about the Apple-1 and the start of the Apple company by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs are endless & the "Apple-1 computer" started what is now one of the most successful businesses in the world.  

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More Apple-1 computer news

Ron Wayne's Apple computer proof documents sold for $25,000 today at Christie's.

David Larsen.

The Apple-1 computer continues to bring big prices and is  a unique microcomputer . Bob Luther says he may use the funds to purchase an original 1964 Chevrolet Corvette to add to his antique car colletion.

^{"by David Larsen"  KK4WW Computer Collector Historian}   

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