Working Apple I Computer from the 1970s has sold for over $315,000 at auction

The Apple-1 Computer was developed and conceived by Steve Jobs and Steve 'Woz' Wozniak in the mid-1970s as a complete hobbyist kit. It was also one of the first 'personal computers' you could buy, as it didn't require any soldering or additional components - even though the exposed board makes it look like a prototype.

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One of the very first 'personal computers,' the Apple-1 Computer, image credit: RR Auction/Dana Redington.

Not many Apple-1 Computers were produced, and even fewer still exist in working order today - many were traded in for an Apple II. One of them, which belonged to an early Apple employee named Dana Redington, was recently put up for auction, where it sold for $315,914 USD.

"In early 1978, while preparing for a move to a new building, I noticed a pile of soon-to-be-discarded Apple I boards," Dana Redington says of the working Apple-1 Computer. "Apple had offered a trade-in program for upgrading to the Apple II to help phase out the older board. With Wozniak and Jobs' permission, I selected the best motherboard and a couple of cassette interface cards from the pile."

Here's a breakdown of the complete working kit that was sold, including a very cool vintage photo of Woz.

• Original Apple-1 'NTI' board, with label annotated "4062."
• Original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI) board.
• Period Cherry mechanical keyboard (circa 1974) with Apple-1 compatible interface cable.
• Linear power supply wired for an Apple-1 based on two Triad transformers (F31-X and F40X) mounted on a wooden frame.
• Modern Insignia LCD TV/video monitor with Apple-1 compatible video cable.
• Detailed letter of provenance from Dana Redington, discussing his employment at Apple and his receipt of this board.
• Dana Redington's Apple Computer business card, listing the address as 20863 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino.
• Original photograph of Dana Redington and Steve Wozniak posing with the Datsun 280ZX, license plate "APPLEII," used in a 1983 TV commercial.

And here's a video of Dana Redington showcasing his former fully working Apple-1 Computer recorded in June 2024.