Original Apple Computer Doesn’t Find Buyer at Auction
Published at | Updated at(LONDON) — Apple surely doesn’t have a problem selling products these days, but apparently $80,000 was a bit too much for one of the company’s first computers.
Christie’s in London auctioned off one of the original Apple 1 computers Tuesday afternoon. Bidding began at $80,000 (50,000 British pounds), but the computer didn’t find a buyer at the auction, Christie’s confirmed to ABC News. The top bid was for 32,000 pounds (around $51,155).
“The future of the computer is in the hands of the consignor,” a Christie’s spokesperson told ABC News.
The computer was being auctioned off from the estate of Joe Copson, a former Apple employee, and according to the Christie’s overview and lot notes, this particular Apple 1 motherboard is numbered 01-0022 — indicating that it was the 22nd model ever made. Printed on the circuit board is Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, CA 1976.
Computer history buffs know that the Apple 1 was the first computer ever made by Apple and was hand-built by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak in Steve Jobs’ garage. It was priced at $666.66.
By 1977, the year it was discontinued, the price of the computer had dropped to $475. It’s surely worth a lot more than that today, but apparently not quite 120 times its original price.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio