Today, people are willing to dish out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to get the latest and greatest in technology. However, next month, an original 1976 Apple Computer could sell for more than the cost of new models.
The fully functional Ricketts Apple-1 Personal Computer, nearly 40 years old, was sold by a 21-year-old Steve Jobs out of his parents’ Los Altos, CA garage for $600. Christie’s is putting it on the auction block Dec. 11, when it could rake in more than half a million dollars.
Tech enthusiasts are excited about the auction, as fewer than 50 Apple-1s are believed to still exist. Apple-1s are thought to be “the machine that started the digital revolution.”
The ‘Ricketts’ part of the name comes from Charles Ricketts, the original buyer of the computer in 1976. In 1999, the computer was acquired by entrepreneur Bruce Waldack, and was auctioned upon his death in 2007 to Robert Luther, who is the current owner.
An Apple expert serviced the computer and ran its standard original software program, as well as an Apple-1 Star Trek game to test it out.
The Ricketts Apple-1 is expected to sell for around $600,000. However, just last month another remaining Apple-1 was sold to the Henry Ford organization for $905,000, twice the pre-sale estimate. Stay tuned!
Courtesy of Reuters