Apple 1 Motherboard, with label "Apple Computer 1 / Palo Alto. Ca. Copyright 1976." Includes circuit board with four rows A-D, and columns 1-18; MOS Technologies 6502 microprocessor, labeled MCS 6502 1576; keyboard interface and connector; 8K bytes RAM in 16-pin 4K memory chips; 4 power supplies including 3 capacitors; firmware in PROMS (A1, A2); low-profile sockets on all integrated circuits; inked "01-0070" on underside; heatsink; expansion connector; cassette board connector; and original cassette interface, labeled Apple 1 Cassette Interface Copyright 1976 with "G" lettered in triangle on reverse, overall approximately 15 x 9 x 2 1/2 inches, on four corner wooden pedestals.
WITH: vintage keyboard with pre-7400 series military spec chips; Sanyo monitor model no VM4204; custom power supply in wooden box. Lot also includes two vintage tape-decks; facsimile owner's manual, schematic and BASIC tape; and a small quantity of 1970s-1980s AppleSiders ephemera as detailed below.
Computer was operational as of September 2014; a video of that operation is linked to the online description of this lot at www.bonhams.com/video/17458 . It was examined and powered up by Corey Cohen, Apple-1 expert and member of the Board of Directors for Mid-Atlantic Retro Computing Hobbyists Museum at the InfoAge Science Center in NJ. Mr. Cohen notes the Apple-1 is in "superb overall condition: the motherboard with no apparent modifications performed or removed and the breadboard in very clean state; even the screws on the power regulators are not heat cycled; every chip on both board and ACI were tested and only a single date-correct replacement chip was needed. The vintage power supply and the keyboard both had minor repairs performed including a date-correct replacement chip to the keyboard."
Provenance: John Anderson, the Founder of the Cincinnati AppleSiders.

APPLE-1 COMPUTER WITH EXCEPTIONAL PROVENANCE AND IN BEAUTIFUL, WORKING CONDITION.

The Apple-1 computer is the first pre-assembled personal computer to come to market, heralding the dawn of the personal computer revolution. The story of its production and sale has become one of the most potent legends in 20th century history. Indeed, the story is perhaps just as famous now as the one that inspired the company name: Newton theorizing gravity under the apple tree.

Steve Wozniak had demonstrated his breakthrough design at the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto and, with his high-school buddy Steve Jobs, obtained an order from Byte Shop owner, Paul Terrell, for 50 assembled boards to be delivered in 30 days. The Apple-1 was built by Wozniak in the Jobs' family garage (or possibly Jobs' sister's bedroom). Approximately 200 units were eventually made, but this is thought to be one of the first batch of 50 with the PCB manufacturer unidentified on the front copper layer of the board. It also bears the inked number "01-0070" on the reverse, of unknown significance, though once conjectured to be a Byte Shop inventory number. Only 63 surviving authentic Apple-1's are listed in Mike Willegas's Apple 1 Registry as of January, 2014. We are informed by Mr. Willegas that this example will be added to the registry shortly. Of those 63, only 15 are documented as having been successfully operated since 2000. Although the first Byte Shop order sold extremely well (at a retail price of $666.66), there were at least some remainders from the additional 150 and many of these were recycled into Apple II's. Additionally, at least some of the Apple-1 first users sent them back for conversion to Apple II's or modified them on their own. In this context, the state of preservation of this example is particularly remarkable. Of the approximately 15 other working boards, it is not known if any of those are in as excellent condition as this one. In particular, note the nearly pristine state of the motherboard's underside where modifications or prior modifications are typically visible. According to Corey Cohen, the condition of the present example is significantly better than any of the operating units that have come up for public sale in the past 4 years.

The superlative rarity of an Apple-1 in this condition is corroborated by this machine's early history. The first known owner is John Barkley Anderson, the Founder and first President of the Cincinnati AppleSiders. This users group began in 1978 and is still holding regular meetings. Anderson started the group's newsletter, "Poke-Apple" in February, 1979 and he organized the first Apple-Vention in October, 1979. For the second Apple-Vention in 1980 he secured Steve Wozniak as the keynote speaker. Family tradition is that Anderson acquired this machine circa 1980 at the time of the second Apple-Vention. Anderson understood very early on its incredible historical importance. According to the family it has been carefully stored in a custom Plexiglas vitrine since August of 1989. The vitrine is included with the lot; it comfortably houses the computer, power supply and keyboard). Present also are 3 issues of "Poke-Apple" from 1979-1984 including the very first number and a special Macintosh issue from February, 1984. There are also programs from the first two Apple-Ventions (October 1979 and October 1980) and two VHS tapes documenting the 1980 event including Wozniak's keynote speech.

For an excellent discussion of the history of the Apple-1 see the documentary: Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview (2012).