One of the six known working Apple-1 computers will be put up for auction on May 25 by German auction house Breker. The unit is expected to bring between $261,000 and $392,000.
Spotted by Computerworld, the vintage Apple-1 will be up for bids on May 25 and includes the original manual, as well as a letter signed by Apple cofounder Steve Jobs. Sotheby’s estimates that only 50 of the 200 original units exist worldwide, and only six of those are in working condition.
The letter from Jobs, which was written to the computer’s original owner Fred Hatfield, contains an offer to exchange the Apple-1 for an Apple II 4K motherboard for an extra $400. At its introduction in 1976, the Apple-1 sold for $666.66.
Also sure to be of interest to possible buyers is the signature on the back of the circuit board. Cofounder Steve Wozniak signed the board as “Woz.”
In December a similar Apple-1 went for a record $640,000. In June of 2012, another working Apple-1 was sold for $375,000, while a unit said to be in “superb” condition managed to bring $174,000 in 2010.
The auction house has posted the video below to prove that the unit is in operational order:
