Got an Urge for an Apple-1, a Pippin, or a Sealed-in-Box OG iPhone? Check Out This Auction!
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If you’re an Apple collector in search of a sealed first-generation iPhone, prototypes, or other memorabilia, like business cards and magazines, you’ll want to check out this auction, which runs through March 20.
RR Auction is offering a total of 317 lots in its “Steve Jobs and the Apple Revolution” section, which can be bid on until March 20, 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Apple memorabilia generally does quite well at auction, but bargains can be had. However, unopened iPhones, as well as signed Steve Jobs items or Jobs’ worn clothes tend to bring a high price.
The auction has a wide variety of prototype Apple devices up for auction, all identified by the various stages the prototypes were in, like engineering validation testing (EVT), design validation testing (DVT), or production validation testing (PVT).
An Apple/Bandi Pippin EVT prototype starts at $200 but will likely bring more than $1,500. The device has an off-white plastic housing and bears labels on the bottom. One says: “Pippin EVT2-01 EC_ SN#235…APPLE CONFIDENTIAL,” while another label notes: “Sample for evaluation only. This device has not been approved by the Federal Communications Commission.” The auction includes a Bandai ATMARK controller, box, and leaflet. The Pippin is untested and “in fine cosmetic condition.”
The Pippin was a multimedia gaming console released in 1996 by Apple and Bandai. Running a modified version of the Macintosh operating system, the Pippin was designed primarily for gaming and educational software. The Pippin was a commercial failure, due to its high price, a limited software library, and competition from more established gaming consoles. Apple discontinued the system one year after its debut. (I recall seeing ads from liquidators in magazines back in 1997, selling the remaining Pippins for under $100, which included a software package!)
An Apple-1 with a manual and accessories are also up for auction, starting at $5,000. This significant piece of Apple history is expected to bring in more than $300,000 by auction’s end. The auction includes a “well-preserved and fully functional ‘Byte Shop’–style Apple-1 computer” (known as the Apple I, or Apple Computer 1), as well as all components and accessories required for operation, in addition, a rare original, heavily annotated operating manual is also included. It was restored to operational condition in October 2019 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen.
A still-in-the-box 4GB original iPhone that is up for auction started bidding at $1,000 and is expected to bring more than $75,000 by the closing bid. The 4 GB model of the original iPhone is considered by collectors as the “holy grail” of modern Apple products. The 4 GB iPhone was discontinued just a bit over two months after the device’s debut, as most buyers opted for the 8 GB model, as it was only $100 more than the 4 GB model.
The box features an image of an iPhone with twelve icons on the screen, indicating the device is from the earliest production run. Later boxes feature a 13th icon, iTunes, which came later in the year. The box is sealed, although there is a small split to the plastic in one corner.
As for Steve Jobs-signed items, a replica of one of Jobs’ Apple Computer business cards is signed by the late Apple co-founder and former CEO. The off-white 3 x 1.75 card has a bold ink signature, and is encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “NM-MT 8.”
For the fashionistas among us, an Apple Computer ‘Power UP’ Hawaiian-Style Shirt is estimated to bring as much as $400+ at auction.
Other items in the auction include other pieces of tech history, including a $30,000 game development archive for Star Wars Arcade, the $40,000 Twitter bird logo from the social media platform’s San Francisco headquarters, and more.
