The Sothebys Auction House in New York last Friday, the 15th of
June, sold an original Apple I, the first Apple computer along with
the original cassette interface. Created by the late Apple founder
Steve Jobs and his partner Steve Wozniak, there are only roughly
fifty Apple Is left in existence today. In addition, this specific
Apple I that was sold is thought to be one of just a mere six out
of the fifty that is still in working condition, thus increasing
its value and popularity.
The Books and Manuscripts portion of the Sothebys Auction was
the category that the Apple I fell under and this also included the
sale of Steve Jobs memo while working at Atari. This memo, which we also blogged
about recently, went for $27,500 and more than doubled its
estimated worth of $10,000-$15,000. Furthermore, other magnificent
news has been piping out of Sothebys Auction Houses of late as our
blogs also discussed the sale of Edvard Munchs The
Scream, Sothebys Jewels selling
for $112 Million, as well as the Sothebys Art Gallery
moving to Brazil.
So how much did this Apple I computer from 1976 sell for?
Something that totally revolutionized the way that we as consumers
approach technology, this was the one that first allowed
individuals to type on keyboards instead of toggling between lights
and switches. Therefore, a lofty $374,000 from an anonymous phone
bidder was achieved by Sothebys that truly was a shock within the
auction house. This is because it far and away surpassed the
experts pre-auction estimates which pegged the Apple I selling
anywhere from $120,000-$180,000. Clearly, great optimism amongst
the public and their now willingness to spend is occurring more and
more as all of our recent studies have shown that auction
estimations are being blown out of the water. Many congratulations
to Sothebys once again, a great sign for the future indeed.
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