Rare Apple-I In Working Condition Hits Charity Auction

It might be rare but not totally unheard of to see older computers of ages past being sold or help for auction. It is, however, rare to see one of the very few Apple-I computers in existence getting that treatment. Even rarer when that said 42-year old computer can still actually boot up, with very few modifications. That is exactly what this charity is offering when it put up an extremely rare "Duston 2" Apple-I for auction. Given its significance, we won't be surprised if it raises tremendous amounts of cash in the next half month.

There are various factors that contribute to the special nature of this particular Apple-I. It is the very first Apple computer built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak back in the historical Jobs house. Only 200 of these were made, by hand even, and only 60 are believed to be still existing. That leaves 59 unaccounted for.

This particular Apple-I was part of the stocks of the Duston Byte-shop in 1976 and was acquired only in 1996. The computer, which was seen as the precursor of the personal computing revolution, is amazingly in working condition. There are a few modifications, though, particularly with the addition of a Stancor power supply transformer and an Apple II+ keyboard. All of these pieces are placed on a wooden display board to accentuate the timeless nature of this technological artifact.

The auction currently stands at $70,000 with one bidder. There's plenty of time left for fans and computer historians to raise the money and try to make a grab for this piece of history and art. And raise they will have to, if previous figures, ranging from $400,000 to $800,000, for other Apple-1's are to be considered.