Apple-1 Prototype Said to Belong to Steve Jobs is Up for Auction

The rare artifact is believed to be owned by the Apple founder himself and may be auctioned for up to $500,000.

Apple fans who have a few hundred thousands to spare will be glad to know that an original Apple-1 prototype that is said to have been owned by the company's founder Steve Jobs is up for auction. The rare artifact was also hand-soldered by Steve Wozniak, Apple's co-founder.

A listing published by RR Auction described "Steve Jobs's Apple-1 Computer Prototype" as the very one Wozniak soldered back in 1976 and used by Jobs to demonstrate to Paul Terrell, the owner of one of the first personal computer stores in the world called The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California.

Following the successful demo, Apple Computers got their first big order, changing the course of the company's history forever. Jobs and Wozniak initially conceived the Apple-1 prototype as part of a do-it-yourself kit for hobbyists with a price tag of $40. But Terrell wanted them to build a fully assembled personal computer, which would then be sold for $666.66.

Authenticity of the Historic Apple-1 Prototype Confirmed

The circuit board that is up for auction reportedly matches the Polaroid photographs taken by Terrell in 1976 and was confirmed to be authentic by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen this year. The auction will include Cohen's notarized 13-page report and is expected to fetch at least $500,000.

The Apple-1 prototype also features a long crack down the right side of the circuit board and indications of Wozniak's "three-handed" soldering technique, CNET reported. The unique soldering method resulted in tight bubbles at the soldered connections on the circuit board.

The listing for the Apple-1 prototype said that only a few Apple artifacts are as "rare, early, or historic" as this circuit board, which had spent many years on the "Apple Garage" property before being handed over to its current owner about 30 years ago.

History of the Apple-1 Prototype Shows Apple's Humble Beginnings

The Apple-1 prototype that is up for auction is the first major product of the company founded by Jobs, Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Terrel ended up ordering up to 50 units of the Apple-1, making The Byte Shop the first company to ever partner with Apple, SlashGear reported.

Apple has grown from its humble beginnings when the company was founded on April 1, 1976. Today, it is a huge multinational corporation with a market cap of up to $3 trillion at its peak. The company is now widely known for its sleek Mac computers, iPhones, and iPads.

But all of Apple's current products trace its roots to the Apple-1 prototype from the 1970's, an 8-bit desktop computer. It was then followed by the Apple-2 in 1977. Today, the original Apple-1 holds its place in the Sydney Powerhouse Museum collection.

On August 24, 2011, Jobs stepped down as CEO of Apple, just six weeks before he passed away from complications brought about by pancreatic cancer. He left the company at the hands of Tim Cook, who previously served as the company's chief operating officer.