BOSTON, MASS.- A fully functioning Apple-1 computer sold for $468,750 during the Remarkable Rarities live auction event by Boston-based RR Auction.

This Apple-1 was one of the first publicly auctioned, sold in April 2002 at the Vintage Computer Festival in California. It was purchased by Roger Wagner, a personal computing pioneer who authored the first book on assembly-language programming for the Apple II. He is a longtime friend of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who said: 'Roger Wagner didn't just read the first book on programming the Apple computer—he wrote it.'

The Apple-1 was originally conceived by Steve Jobs and Steve 'Woz' Wozniak as a bare circuit board to be sold as a kit and completed by electronics hobbyists. Their initial market was Palo Alto's Homebrew Computer Club. Wozniak alone designed the hardware, circuit board designs, and operating system for the computer. Seeking a larger audience, Jobs approached Paul Terrell, owner of The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the first personal computer stores in the world. Aiming to elevate the computer beyond the hobbyist realm, Terrell agreed to purchase 50 Apple-1 computers, but only if they were fully assembled. The Apple-1 thus became one of the first 'personal' computers which did not require soldering by the end user. Over about ten months, Jobs and Wozniak produced about 200 Apple-1 computers and sold 175.

Between the significant provenance—sold at the 2002 Vintage Computer Festival and owned by a pioneering technologist and software designer—and the impressive array of accompanying hardware and ephemera, this is an outstanding example of the sought-after Apple-1 Computer.

"Steve Jobs was one of the top influential innovators of the 21st Century, and not surprising that the Apple-1 was the leader in our Remarkable Rarities auction," said Bobby Livingston, Executive VP at RR Auction. "Steve Jobs and Apple memorabilia is one of our top-performing categories, and we imagine it will be for years to come; it draws a unique and loyal fanbase worldwide."

“Our Remarkable Rarities live auctions continue to build an ever-increasing diverse audience, and we are thrilled and excited to be able to bring this elite group of historical autographs and artifacts to the marketplace in our annual event."

Additional highlights from the sale include, but are not limited by:




• Saint Valentine's Day Massacre Colt Detective Special Revolver recovered from the scene sold for $187,500.

• Ronald Reagan's 'Geneva Summit' golf putter used on Air Force One sold for $150,000.

• Apollo 17 hand controller used by Commander Gene Cernan sold for $112,500.

• Abraham Lincoln handwritten letter from President Lincoln urging the resignation of Postmaster sold for $115,000.

• Charles Darwin: First Edition of On the Origin of Species sold for $100,000.

• George Washington handwritten letter signed while framing the Constitution in Philadelphia sold for $58,750.

• Red rose from bouquet given to Jackie Kennedy and carried in the presidential limousine on November 22, 1963, sold for $17,500.

• Lawrence A. Williams Archive consisting of aviator wings and pilot's license recovered from the USS Arizona after Pearl Harbor, sold for $15,000.

The Remarkable Rarities auction from RR Auction began May 25 and concluded during the live auction event on June 23 in Boston.