Buy an Apple-1 in 1976 and Forget It for 45 Years: Now It's Worth a Fortune

Sotheby's has spotlighted a functioning example of the Apple-1, the computer with serial number 01-0033, produced in 1976 and belonging to the original lot of 50 units hand-assembled by Steve Wozniak. The auction house has chosen it as a symbol piece for its upcoming sale dedicated to the history of science and technology, dedicating a video to it on its YouTube channel.

The story is told by the owner, Harry Saddler, who bought the machine at the end of 1976 at the Byte Shop in Berkeley, California. Saddler recounts using it primarily as a device to tinker with BASIC, without imagining that the motherboard would become a relic worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

After a couple of weeks, Saddler returned to the shop for a small repair and met Steve Jobs there, asking if there were openings at Apple Computer. His limited experience quickly closed that door. However, fate took revenge in 2010 when Jobs acquired the startup Siri Inc., where Saddler was the tenth employee: in the end, he found a way to work at Apple anyway.

How the Estimate of $300,000 to $500,000 for the Machine Was Determined

The 01-0033 example remained sealed in a warehouse for 45 years before being brought back to light around 2021. Its operation was restored in August 2024 with the help of two currently serving Apple engineers. The package includes the original Stancor power supply, a vintage Datanetics keyboard, a Hitachi VM-906AU monitor, a Panasonic SlimLine cassette recorder, and the entire documentation of the time, including the Apple-1 operating manual and a copy of the Apple Basic manual stamped with the address of Bill Fernandez, the first full-time employee of Apple Computer.

The auction house sets the estimate between $300,000 and $500,000, a range that appears generous when compared to market precedents: one of the rare examples with a wooden case, the so-called "Moore Apple-1,” fetched $475,000 (fees included) in 2025.

The rest of the catalog is no laughing matter in terms of historical relevance. Among the computers for sale is a NeXT Computer used on stage by Steve Jobs during the 1988 presentation, accompanied by a twin unit employed for European demonstrations. There’s also a Mark-8 minicomputer from 1974, a MITS Altair 8800 also from 1974, and some still-sealed Macintosh systems from Apple’s early years.

On the scientific front, the catalog includes items owned or used by figures such as Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Richard Feynman, and Albert Einstein. The auction will take place on July 15 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time, live from Sotheby's at 945 Madison Avenue, New York.