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Apple-1 computer auction to make $180,000 at Sotheby's?
One of just six working Apple-1s, the first computers produced by the company, will auction in June
Paul Fraser Collectibles, Tuesday 29 May 2012
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A working Apple-1, the first computer sold by the all-conquering US company, is coming to auction next month.
The computer will arrive at Sotheby's with a high estimate of $180,000 on June 15.
Of the 200 produced and 50 believed to be in existence, just six are thought to still be operational, a key factor in the item's considerable valuation.
 The mother of all motherboards |
The motherboards first appeared for sale in July 1976 for $666.66 - buyers were required to supply their own keyboards and monitors.
Another of the six sold for $213,000 in 2010, although that specimen was accompanied by a signed letter from Steve Jobs, the founder of the company.
"This unit works, and is fairly complete with documentation and original cassette interface, so it should draw a pretty good sum," technology expert Mike Willegal told Computerworld.
"[But] it doesn't have a receipt with Jobs' signature, so I don't see it reaching the Christie's number."
Apple is a huge draw for technology collectors, as is founder Steve Jobs, who died last year.
In December the Jobs-signed 1976 contract which established the first Apple partnership sold for $1.6m at Sotheby's New York.
The Sotheby's auction will also feature a 1974 memo by Jobs detailing potential improvements to the Atari World Cup Soccer arcade game.
The four page report and accompanying note to the games manufacturer he worked for at the time is expected to make $15,000.
We will bring you all the key results from the sale next month.
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