Early Apple computer that helped launch company sells at auction

One of the first personal computers built by Apple and signed by company co-founder Steve Wozniak has sold at auction for more than 223,000 US dollars (£177,000).

The Apple-1 has been restored to a fully operational state and came with a custom case with a built-in keyboard, according to RR Auction, which held the sale.

About 200 were manufactured in Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ garage in Los Altos, California, in 1976 and 1977 and helped launch the company that in June became the first publicly traded business to close a trading day with a 3 trillion dollar (£2.38 trillion) market value. Originally sold for 666 dollars (£529), it was expected to sell for about 200,000 dollars (£159,000), RR said.

The Apple-1 was signed “Woz” by Mr Wozniak at an event at Bryant University in 2017.

It was acquired used by the person who sold it in 1980 at a computer hobbyist show in Framingham, Massachusetts, and was used throughout the 1980s. It was brought to an operational state earlier this year by Apple expert Corey Cohen, the auction house said.

It was purchased by a collector who wishes to remain anonymous, RR Auction said.

An original handwritten advertisement for the Apple-1 Computer written by Mr Jobs sold for almost 176,000 dollars (£139,000) at the same auction, RR said.

Apple company cheque No 2 signed by Mr Jobs and Mr Wozniak and dated March 19, 1976, sold for more than 135,000 dollars (£107,000).