• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechFortune 500

Early Apple Computer Sells At Auction for $815,000

By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Don Reisinger
Don Reisinger
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 26, 2016, 2:31 PM ET

One of the first Apple computers ever built has sold for $815,000.

Glenn and Shannon Dellimore, co-founders of beauty product firm Glamglow, bought the Apple I computer, possibly the first model of its kind in 1976, in an online auction. They won after a bid exceeding its estimated value of $1 million—the original price estimate by historians—was entered but then withdrawn.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter

In an interview with Fortune, Apple historian and Apple I expert Corey Cohen said that he, along with help from Apple (AAPL) co-founder Steve Wozniak and Apple’s 12th employee Daniel Kottke, were able to date the computer to the summer of 1976, making it among the first Apple I machines ever produced—if not the first. They identified Kottke’s handwriting on the cassette tape that runs the computer’s operating system.

Considering that Kottke worked for Apple just after its founding in 1976 during his college summer break, they realized the computer was among the company’s earliest units.

Cohen believes there are approximately 60 to 70 Apple I computers still in existence and countless replicas that, according to Cohen, only a handful of Apple historians can identify as fakes.

Some could argue that the Dellimores walked off with a deal. The Apple I they acquired was valued at $1 million based on special features that aren’t included in others, including components that Cohen believes Apple co-founder Steve Jobs himself tested to reduce the computer’s costs.

“There were some odd experiments on the board that someone like Steve Jobs or one of the Apple folks would have done,” Cohen said. “It’s not something that would’ve been done by a hardware hacker back in the day.”

The computer is essentially a board with components that allowed users to perform basic functions like word processing. It was previously used to build a Spanish language program to help users learn how to speak Spanish.

In 2014, The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI bought an Apple I computer in outstanding condition for $905,000. Considering that price and the latest Apple I’s unique attributes, Cohen thought the latest computer sold should go for more.

“That unit didn’t have the provenance that this board has,” Cohen said of the Apple I that The Henry Ford Museum bought. “This Apple I is a unicorn.”

Looking ahead, the Dellimores plan not only to keep the Apple I as an investment, but also share it with museums and universities to educate the community about its “place in history.”

The couple sold their company to Estee Lauder in 2015 for an undisclosed amount.

About the Author
By Don Reisinger
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Greg Peters
Big TechMedia
Top analyst says Netflix’s $72 billion bet on Warner Bros. isn’t about the ‘Death of Hollywood’ at all. It’s really about Google
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 5, 2025
2 hours ago
Elon Musk, wearing a suit and in front of a dark blue background, looks to the side and frowns.
Big TechTesla
Elon Musk says Tesla owners will soon be able to text while driving, despite it being illegal in nearly all 50 states
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 5, 2025
2 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. Meta Platforms Inc. introduced its latest lineup of head-worn devices, staking fresh claim to the virtual and augmented-reality industry just ahead of Apple Inc. pushing into the market. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Big TechMeta
Mark Zuckerberg rebranded Facebook for the metaverse. Four years and $70 billion in losses later, he’s moving on
By Eva RoytburgDecember 5, 2025
3 hours ago
Construction workers are getting a salary bump for working on data center projects during the AI boom.
AIU.S. economy
Construction workers are earning up to 30% more and some are nabbing six-figure salaries in the data center boom
By Nino PaoliDecember 5, 2025
4 hours ago
Robert F. Kennedy
PoliticsHealth
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. turns to AI to make America healthy again
By Ali Swenson and The Associated PressDecember 5, 2025
5 hours ago
Steve Jobs holds up the first iPod Nano
Big TechApple
Apple is experiencing its biggest leadership shakeup since Steve Jobs died, with over half a dozen key executives headed for the exits
By Dave SmithDecember 5, 2025
5 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt
By Eleanor PringleDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
‘Godfather of AI’ says Bill Gates and Elon Musk are right about the future of work—but he predicts mass unemployment is on its way
By Preston ForeDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nearly 4 million new manufacturing jobs are coming to America as boomers retire—but it's the one trade job Gen Z doesn't want
By Emma BurleighDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he works 7 days a week, including holidays, in a constant 'state of anxiety' out of fear of going bankrupt
By Jessica CoacciDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
‘There is no Mamdani effect’: Manhattan luxury home sales surge after mayoral election, undercutting predictions of doom and escape to Florida
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Tariffs and the $38 trillion national debt: Kevin Hassett sees ’big reductions’ in deficit while Scott Bessent sees a ‘shrinking ice cube’
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 4, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.