Apple Pippin Goes for $4,000 While Rare Apple-1 Computer Fetches $375,000 at Auction
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Earlier this month, we told you about a good number of Apple and Steve Jobs-related items that were going up for auction. Now that the “Steve Jobs and the Apple Revolution” auction has ended let’s take a look at what all the items sold for.
A rare, working Apple-1 computer sold for the impressive sum of $375,000 when the last bid was tallied. The Apple-1, which originally carried a retail price of $666.66 back in the 1970s, was the first computer sold by Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Only a small number of these hand-assembled computers remain in working condition these days, meaning any functioning models tend to fetch large amounts of money when they are put up for auction.
The Apple-1 that sold is known as the “Bayville” Apple-1 and it is listed as number 91 on the Apple-1 Registry. The 8-bit computer was among the first batch of Apple-1 machines sold in 1976. The Apple-1 Registry currently has 104 Apple-1 machines listed. The registry is designed to help track all known remaining Apple-1 computers and offers details and history for each computer in the registry.
The Bayville Apple-1 sports a handwritten serial number likely written by Steve Jobs. It was sold with an original manual and a handwritten note by Daniel Kottke (Apple employee number 12).
Also selling was a rare Apple/Bandi Pippin EVT prototype, which started at $200 and was expected to bring more than $1,500; it well surpassed that with a final bid of $4,038. (Wow! I remember when the Pippin was discontinued, you could buy one with a collection of games for about $100 or so.)
The off-white plastic game console has labels on the bottom. One label says: “Pippin EVT2-01 EC_ SN#235…APPLE CONFIDENTIAL,” while on another label, it reads, “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 was untested but “in fine cosmetic condition.”
An auction for a still-in-the-box 4GB original iPhone started bidding at $1,000 and was expected to bring more than $75,000 by the auction’s close. It brought in $87,514.
The large final sale amount is not too surprising when you consider that the 4 GB model of the OG 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. Today, the 4 GB model is considered one of the “Holy Grails” of Apple collecting.
Steve Jobs-signed items are usually popular auction items, and this time around was no exception. A March 22, 1976 Wells Fargo bank check, 7.5 x 3, filled out and signed by Steve Jobs as “steven jobs,” and made out payable to the University Art Center for $13.25, sold for the tidy amount of $112,054.
Another Steve Jobs-signed check was on the block, filled out in black felt tip, written July 23, 1976, signed as “Steven Jobs,” and payable to Delrooz Arco for $7.05. Headed “Apple Computer Company,” the check uses Apple’s first official address, which was “770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto,” which was the location of the answering service and mail drop that Jobs and Wozniak used while they were still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage. That check went for $62,500.
Several other Apple and Steve Jobs items were also sold at the auction, which earned a total of $1,308,251. For more information about the items that were up for auction, visit the RR Auction website.
