Apple gadgets typically hold their value very well, and one recent auction held true to that reputation. One anonymous bidder won an Apple-1 computer at an auction in Germany for $671,400, surpassing the previous high of $640,000 for the same machine. Before that? A collector bought an Apple-1 for $374,500, a bargain for that kind of history compared to the other winning bids.
As with anything in an auction, the price directly related to the computer’s rarity, age and condition. Of course, a lot of the price also had to do with the history of Apple as a company, and the two men that founded it in a garage all those years ago, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. According to the New York Times, the Apple-1 originally sold for $666, or about $2,700 in today’s market.
The buyer was described as a wealthy entrepreneur from the Far East—someone who obviously has a strong affinity for Apple gear. “It is a superb symbol of the American dream,” Uwe Breker, the German auctioneer, said. “You have two college dropouts from California who pursued an idea and a dream, and that dream becomes one of the most admired, successful and valuable companies in the world.”
It’s a heck of a conversation starter, and quite a bit of money for something that you merely display. For that price, I think most of us would be better off purchasing a MacBook Air and calling it a day. But I suppose that’s not in the entrepreneurial spirit.
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