Back to home page | 
Listed in category:
Bidding has ended on this item. The seller has relisted this item or one like this.
Item:Original Apple 1 computer for sale
Please wait
Image not available
Mouse here to zoom in
Please wait
Image not available
 

Original Apple 1 computer for sale

The Holy Grail of vintage computers! A museum piece.

Item condition:--
Ended:Nov 18, 200909:57:56 PST
Bid history:0 bids
Starting bid:US $50,000.00
Shipping:Read item description or contact seller for details. See more services 

 See discounts 

 |  See all details
Estimated delivery time varies. Seller ships within 2 days
Returns:
No Returns Accepted
Coverage:
Pay with and your full purchase price is covered | See terms

A reserve price is the minimum price the seller will accept. This price is hidden from bidders. To win, a bidder must have the highest bid and have met or exceeded the reserve price.

 
Other item info
Item number:320447681957
Item location:Roseville, CA, United States
Ships to:United States
Payments:
 Share PrintReport item
 Description Shipping and payments
Last updated on 01:55:37 PM PST, Nov 15, 2009 View all revisions
Apple 1 computer for sale.
Perhaps the best condition, best documented Apple 1 in existence.


*** NOTE FROM SELLER ***
Please stop contacting me directly with Buy-It-Now offers.  If you have such
a good price to offer, enter it as a bid at the last second like everyone else
watching this auction will do.  Any more e-mails with offers will be simply
deleted. I'm sorry if that is rude, but I can't keep wasting time sending the
same "No," and ending up in a "How about $x more?" thread.

*** ADD'L NOTE FROM SELLER ***
I can't seem to get my reply to a question posted so I'll do it this way.
I have replaced two of the photos in this ad with pictures of the back
of the computer.  The first shows the entire back of the system. 
The other picture provides detail of the modification: several thin
wires connect a keyboard socket with pinouts on the motherboard
and two strips of electrical tape fasten the wires to the board.

Any Apple 1 is rare but this unit has impeccable provenance and is so clean...it literally may be the best surviving Apple 1.


Provenance:

Included in this sale are the following items to provide complete history and provenance for this unit:
    • The original invoice for the sale, dated December 7, 1976.  The sales person, Steven, is presumed to be Steve Jobs.
    • A letter, typed on plain notebook paper and signed by Steven Jobs.  Though undated, the letter refers to sending the buyer a dealer application in January or February, 1977.
    • The original packaging in which the computer shipped, with a return address of Steve Jobs' parents address at the time.
    • Photographs of every owner of this unit.  The original owner was photographed holding the computer, the next owner did the same and the current owner took his picture with both the system and with Steve Wozniak

Clean condition:

To appreciate how clean this unit is you must consider that the Apple 1 was a hobbyist's toy.  It has an open breadboard area on it specifically left open for folks to wirewrap their own modifications.  Most Apple 1's out there are covered in solder and chips and wires every which way.

This unit has but a single addition, a keyboard port added in a mid-80s attempt to get it to boot up.

(btw, When Steve Wozniak saw this unit he told me that the first batches of Apple 1's used a brand of chip they later replaced  because they blew out easily.  He said those chips were on this unit, which is probably why the unit didn't boot in the mid-80s.) 


List of items included in sale:
  • The computer itself
  • The original shipping box, with Steve Jobs' parents' house as a return address
  • The original manual, with schematics to build your own Apple 1
  • The tape interface card
  • The manual for the tape interface
  • A plain Scotch-brand cassette tape with a simply-typed label "BASIC" that came with the unit
  • A letter, signed by Steven Jobs in 1976, explaining connecting a keyboard and monitor, as well as detailing when dealer applications would be available
  • An original full-page glossy advertisement for Apple, included when the Apple 1 computer was shipped.  (The ad is almost unrecognizable as an Apple ad due to its elaborate Isaac Newton logo.  The artist who drew that logo was the third original partner in Apple Corp.  His stake in Apple was bought out for a couple thousand dollars when the company started getting serious.)
  • Photographs of all prior owners of this unit

Special Terms:

Due to the irreplaceable nature of this item, I am placing a $3,000 additional fee if the item is chosen to be shipped.  I do not do this for the money, I do it to discourage shipping.  I want it to be dramatically more expensive to have this relic shipped than to pick it up and safely transport it to its new home personally.


Questions and answers about this item
  
 Q: are you shipping to germany?? how many coasts??
A: I will ship to any location reached by normal means - US Postal Service, Federal Express, UPS, DHL. However, I remind you there is a $3,000 surcharge to ship this item. Surely, it would be cheaper to fly roundtrip, even... Continue reading
Nov 17, 2009 
 Q: Hi, I am based in the UK and I am seriously interested in your Apple 1. I have a few questions about it: 1. Please could I see some more photos of the back of the computer and cassette interface. 2. Please could give me... Continue reading
A: 1. I'll photograph the backs of those items tonight. It is now 9:00 AM in Sacramento, CA, USA 2. The first owner was the owner of the electronics store in Montana addressed on the invoice. In the mid-80s his... Continue reading
Nov 13, 2009 


23511
Domestic handling time
Will usually ship within 2 business days of receiving cleared payment.
Return policy
The seller will not accept returns for this item.
Payment details
Payment methodPreferred/AcceptedBuyer protection on eBay
Credit or debit card through PayPal
Accepted
Pay with and your full purchase price is covered | See terms
Seller assumes all responsibility for this listing.
Back to home page | Sell one like thisReturn to top

About eBay | Announcements | Security Center | Resolution Center | eBay Toolbar | Policies | Government Relations | Site Map | Help
Copyright © 1995-2009 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Designated trademarks and brands are the property of their respective owners. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of the eBay User Agreement and Privacy Policy.
eBay official time