This rare Apple computer with ties to Chaffey College is up for auction

An aged machine that had been collecting particulate successful an Alta Loma store whitethorn fetch much than $200,000 astatine auction this month.

On Nov. 9, 2021, a tiny auction location successful Monrovia volition enactment up for bid 1 of the archetypal Apple-1 computers built by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, the Silicon Valley duo who launched Apple Computers, a trillion dollar computer, tablet and astute telephone company.

The folks from John Moran Auctioneers and Appraisers were shocked erstwhile aft a recruitment lecture connected however to currency successful your “hidden gems,” a subordinate of the assemblage contacted a erstwhile Chaffey College pupil who was successful possession of a machine he’d been “hanging onto for a while” successful Alta Loma, a vicinity of Rancho Cucamonga adjacent the college, said Noelle Valentino, a manager for the auction house.

“I astir fell implicit erstwhile I heard it was an Apple-1,” she said Wednesday, Nov. 3.

The estimated worth of the machine is placed astatine betwixt $400,000 and $600,000. The minimum bid is acceptable astatine $200,000.

But there’s much to this communicative that sounds similar it could beryllium an occurrence of the PBS amusement “Antiques Roadshow.”

According to the auction house, a pupil bought the machine from his Chaffey College electronics prof successful 1977. The professor, the archetypal owner, sold it for $650 and utilized the wealth to upgrade to the Apple II.

Although the existent owner’s sanction has been kept from nationalist view, it is believed helium is the erstwhile Chaffey College student, due to the fact that determination person been lone 2 owners of the computer, according to the auction house.

Hence, the auction location registered the machine arsenic “Chaffey College Apple-1,” which contains the copyright 1976. In each these years since its purchase, the archetypal machine that’s a precursor to Macintosh, iPads and iPhones ne'er near Rancho Cucamonga.

“It is precise chill that this archetypal machine began its beingness successful the hands of an concern electronics teacher connected field during that period,” said Steve Siedschlag, prof of machine accusation systems astatine Chaffey College.

Neither Siedschlag, a prof astatine the Chaffey for 20 years, nor anyone other astatine the assemblage knew that an iconic portion of machine past was erstwhile owned by a workfellow and a erstwhile student.

“Who knows, helium (the professor) whitethorn person utilized the machine to cipher immoderate physics circuits,” Siedschlag speculated.

Working from Jobs’ parents’ store successful Mountain View successful 1976, Jobs and Wozniak handmade 200 of the Apple-1s, the archetypal enactment of idiosyncratic computers. Of those, 175 were sold, but 25 whitethorn person been damaged and utilized for scrap parts. Fifty were purchased by the ByteShop successful Mountain View, Calif., an aboriginal outfit for machine programmers and hackers.

Most likely, the Chaffey College prof bought it from the ByteShop, Valentino said, due to the fact that the circuits, motherboard and keyboard are encased successful a woody framework made of Koa wood added to the machine by store owner, Paul Terrell.

Only six of the Apple-1 computers see the wood casing, made from a uncommon Hawaiian tree. The computer, connected show Wednesday, Nov. 3, astatine Chaffey College, besides included a show that was added successful 1986.

The auction location connected Walnut Avenue successful Monrovia usually deals successful paintings, jewelry and different items of antiquity. This is the archetypal clip it is auctioning disconnected a portion of electronics, Valentino said.

The auction was featured connected the Times Square ticker successful New York and has received wide publicity. The location has already received phoned-in bids, Valentino said.

An appraiser verified the computer’s authenticity and attached a worth range. It could transcend that scope astatine auction, however. Bonhams Auction House connected Madison Avenue successful New York sold an Apple-1 for $905,000 successful 2014, Valentino said.

“The breathtaking happening astir an auction is you ne'er cognize what volition happen,” she added. “It conscionable takes 2 radical who privation it severely and it could spell for more.”

The full fig of Apple-1s successful beingness contiguous is unknown. About 1 oregon 2 spell up for auction each year, Valentino said.

“There whitethorn beryllium others successful people’s basements similar this one,” she said.

Siedschlag, who teaches cyber information and different computer-science classes astatine Chaffey College, said helium ne'er met Jobs oregon Wozniak but erstwhile attended a Jobs’ lecture. Jobs died successful 2011 from pancreatic cancer. Wozniak, present 71, precocious started a green-energy company.

Will Siedschlag effort to bargain a portion of machine history?

“No,” helium said, chuckling. “I person nary intentions of putting successful my bid. I americium fantasizing that Wozniak walks successful to bargain it.”

The auction volition not beryllium held unrecorded owed to COVID-19 restrictions, Valentino said. Instead, virtual bidding volition statesman astatine 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9. Find the livestream at johnmoran.com. Absentee bids are taken by phone. To bid oregon larn more, telephone 626-793-1833.