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A rare and fully functional Apple-1 with its rare Byte Shop wooden case is up for auction right now. Thought to be one of just nine surviving samples remaining in the original wood case, bidding on Lot #7083 will conclude on Saturday, September 20, 2025. You can join the RR Auctions Remarkable Rarities event in person at 1 pm EST (Boston, MA), by phone, or online (worldwide).
As mentioned in the intro, this is a fully functional Apple-1, and it also comes with “all components and accessories required for operation,” according to the listing. Alongside the computer, in good working condition, you will get a cassette interface, keyboard, monitor, and software. These are all original and era-appropriate.
The set includes:
- Original Apple-1 board, marked on the reverse with "01-0020"
- Original Apple Cassette Interface (ACI) board
- Original Byte Shop wooden case with built-in Datanetics keyboard and Triad power supply
- Period-correct video monitor and associated cables
- Period-correct copies of software on cassette tapes, with contemporary handwritten notes and instructions
- Modern copy of the Apple-1 Operation Manual
As it stands, this rare computer would be a desirable item, but its appeal is lifted further because it was owned by the first female graduate of Stanford Law School, June Blodgett Moore.
The condition of the computer is graded at 8.0/10 by the auction house. As such an old tech artifact, there are issues impacting the score. For example, RR Auctions notes a hairline crack on part of the case and a section of rear paneling that has been removed to provide access to cabling.
Inside, this Apple-1 is a great period example. The auctioneers point out that the PCB is marked ‘Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, Ca. Copyright 1976’ and its breadboard prototyping area “is untouched and the green coat exhibits some minor scuffs but minimal peeling, unlike many Apple-1 boards.” Other points of note are its white ceramic MOS 6502 processor and all three original Sprague 'Big Blue' capacitors. Some power supply diodes have been replaced, but carefully swapped with period-correct replacements.
Wooden case history
The wooden case seen used for this model was implemented to elevate the Apple-1 beyond being a Homebrew Computer Club kit aimed at DIYers. The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, insisted on completed kits being supplied for its retail operation. Steve Jobs and Steve ‘Woz’ Wozniak complied by supplying 50 units in this wooden case. It would be one of the first personal computers available to consumers that didn’t require assembly.
The retail deal meant that The Byte Shop bought 50 Apple-1 computers in wood cases for $500 a piece, and resold them at $666.66. Wozniak would recount, “That was the biggest single episode in all of the company's history. Nothing in subsequent years was so great and so unexpected.”
Steven Jobs Check
Another Apple-flavored auction that concludes on Saturday is for a 'Steven Jobs' signed Apple Computer Company check. The check was drawn up for $10 on June 25, 1976. At this time, the company was still operating from the Jobs family garage.
This check is encapsulated and graded as a ‘Mint 9’ and was expected to fetch $25,000. However, it has already hit $24,655 in pre-live bidding, so it should go somewhat higher on Saturday
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