An operational Apple-1 in its rare Byte Shop wooden case hits RR Auction; pre-bids at $144,311 and could exceed $300,000 this September.
© RR Auction
One of the earliest personal computers ever made—the Apple-1—has hit the block at RR Auctions’ Remarkable Rarities sale, which wraps on September 20, 2025. The machine is operational and housed in its original Byte Shop wooden case, a configuration of which only nine are believed to have survived.
Pre-bidding has already pushed the price to $144,311, and specialists suggest the final hammer could clear $300,000. The lot arrives with its period-correct essentials: a cassette interface, keyboard, monitor, and software. Provenance adds extra allure, too—the unit once belonged to June Blodgett Moore, recognized as the first woman to graduate from Stanford Law School.
According to the organizers, the Apple-1’s condition is rated 8 out of 10. The case shows a small crack and a removed panel for cable access, but the motherboard is almost pristine; it still carries the “Apple Computer 1, Palo Alto, Ca. Copyright 1976” legend. Among the standout components are a white ceramic MOS 6502 processor and three original Sprague “Big Blue” capacitors—details that purists tend to prize.
The wooden enclosure itself was produced at the request of the Byte Shop in Mountain View, which ordered 50 fully assembled units from Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak at $666.66 apiece. That order is widely seen as Apple’s first major breakthrough, the moment that set the company on its future trajectory.
There’s another evocative piece in the sale: a check signed by Steve Jobs and issued in June 1976, from the period when the company was still operating out of the founder’s garage. Though its face value is just $10, bidding has already reached $24,655—and it seems poised to outstrip expectations.