Rare Vintage Apple Computer Auctioned For $640,000

A rare vintage Apple 1 computer, which was made in 1976, has been sold for the massive price of $640,000. The Apple 1 computers are some of the first computers in the world, and were developed by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs in Silicon Valley in 1976. Only 200 of these computers were produced, and they were the first ready-made personal computers that were available for people to buy.

Motherboard, keyboard and monitor of Apple I vintage computer

Of these 200 vintage Apple 1 personal computers, only 43 are believed to have stood the test of time and survived. Only six of these 43 units are in working condition. One of these operational Apple 1 computers was auctioned for $374,500 (twice its estimated price) at a Sotheby’s sale in New York. It is believed that after the death of Steve Jobs, the value of vintage Apple computers have increased immensely.

Monitor of old vintage Apple I computer unit

This is why when another vintage Apple I computer in working order was put up for auction in Germany, it broke all records and garnered a huge $630,000. This auction was held by Team Breker in Cologne, Germany. The vintage Apple computer unit in question was one of the original personal computers created by Apple in 1976 for the masses.

Sanyo monitor of vintage Apple I computer

Compared to other vintage computers, this computer had all its original peripherals, including the transformer, a Panasonic 2102 cassette record, a Sony monitor and a Datanetics ASCII keyboard. It also had a re-printed version of the original Apple I manual and a schematic diagram signed by Steve Wozniak (Apple co-founder). It was actually this manual and schematic diagram that helped the auction house collect $430,000 more than the computer’s original estimated cost of $200,000.

What do you think of the sale of this rare vintage Apple I computer? Do you have any old rare gadgets in your home? Don’t throw them away; they may be worth something some day!