Fancy a boxed Apple-1 that was signed by Woz? It'll cost you $400,000

By Oliver Haslam
last updated

Apple 1 Signed By Woz
Apple 1 Signed By Woz (Image credit: RR Auction)

What you need to know

  • There's a boxed Apple-1 up for grabs via RR Auction.
  • The computer is signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
  • It's expected to sell for around $400,000 with bids starting at $50,000.

Every so often, once in a while, sometimes, a little piece of Apple history appears in an auction somewhere and we all wish we had a spare few thousand dollars to spend. Today is one of those days except we all wish we had a spare $400,000. It's a lot, but it could get you a boxed Apple-1 computer. And it's signed by Steve Wozniak.

Set to be auctioned at RR Auction in Boston, lot #6001 - Apple-1 Computer with Original Box Signed by Steve Wozniak is quite the sight. The auction even says that it comes with everything you need to get it up and running, including the manual for the Cassette Interface. That sounds like a hell of a read, I'm sure you'll agree.

Apple 1 Woz Signing

Apple 1 Woz Signing (Image credit: RR Auction)

The set includes: - original Apple-1 board - original Apple-1 box, signed inside the lid in black felt tip by Steve Wozniak, "Woz" - original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI) - original Apple-1 Operation Manual - original Apple Cassette Interface manual - a vintage Apple-1 power supply - a vintage Datanetics keyboard in wooden case - a vintage 1976 Sanyo monitor - a vintage Panasonic cassette player

Oh, and when I say "get it up and running," I'm not talking hypertheticals here. This thing works!

This Apple-1 computer was restored to its original, operational state in September 2020 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, and a video of it running and functioning is available upon request. A comprehensive, technical condition report prepared by Cohen is available to qualified bidders; he evaluates the current condition of the unit as 8.0/10. Aside from the presence of the exceptionally rare original shipping box—one of just a handful of known Apple-1 and box sets known today—the most remarkable aspect of this Apple-1 computer is that it is documented to be fully operational: the system was operated without fault for approximately eight hours in a comprehensive test.

I could really use one of those Nigerian princes emailing me with $14 million that needs looking after right about now.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.