'Dryden' Apple-1 computer

The auction was unusual in every respect, and the price, compared with other Apple-1 computers, was incredibly low. The auction took place near me, and I was actually there only to buy a beautiful rocket engine as an object for my office. The expected purchase price of the Dryden Apple-1 was very high. I had inspected the Apple-1 personally at the auction house and very much liked what I had seen. The auction began, and the first bid came immediately. Then nothing happened for a long time, and the auction faltered in an unusual way. When the auctioneer called "going once, going twice, going twice," my bidding card was raised almost reflexively. Photographers appeared immediately. Again, an unusually long time passed. In the meantime, a maximum bid was being considered. Incredibly, there was no further bidding.

After the auction, I was contacted by two interested parties who, for various reasons, had not bid during the auction, but later called and offered enormous sums of money. Many owners sell their Apple-1 after a short time and regard the historically valuable device as a financial asset. For now, however, I would like to keep my Apple-1.

Soon there were prophecies of doom and hasty statements, made without knowing the reasons for the low result. Some claimed that all high prices had only been due to hype surrounding Steve Jobs, and that this hype was now over.

The opposite happened.

In the same year, 2017, several Apple-1 computers were auctioned for three to four times the price. In addition, some were offered on the private market, and nothing could be done for less than US$350,000.

Soon after the auction, the first offer arrived in what had by then become the usual price range. But as mentioned before, I am happy to own this computer and do not want to turn it into gold. My first Apple-1 had already been loaned to the Deutsches Museum Munich.

More and more Apple-1 computers are going to museums. In addition, there are collectors who will probably never give up their Apple-1 during their lifetime. In a few years, the market may dry out.

Acquiring an Apple-1 will become more difficult and more expensive over time. There will always be exceptions, and sometimes also luck for the buyer.

For the time being, this Apple-1 is stored in a bank safe. The Dryden Apple-1 should either go to its own museum or to a travelling exhibition.

From July 14, 2018 until February 10, 2019, the Dryden Apple-1 was on display at ZKM, Center for Art and Media, Lorenzstraße 19, 76135 Karlsruhe. ZKM Website (German only, please use an online translator). The exhibition was called „Kunst in Bewegung. 100 Meisterwerke mit und durch Medien.“ (Art in motion. 100 masterpieces with and through media).

A custom box was built to protect the mainboard, cassette interface and keyboard. It was transported to Karlsruhe by a specialist carrier in June 2018.
The Apple-1 remains in the condition in which its first owner used it in 1976. The first owner added some parts and replaced a socket. In my view, after more than 40 years, this is part of its history and belongs to the board. This condition is preserved. No cleaning has been done. That is the approach many museums prefer. Restoration would only be done if the artifact were endangered or badly damaged. But this Apple-1 is in working condition, and all parts are original. Nothing has been changed, and no components have been added or replaced later, except for the keyboard socket and the parts added by the first owner in the 1970s.

The electronics added in 1976 are inverters used for the keyboard. The keyboard is homemade, as were all keyboards used for an Apple-1 in the 1970s. Apple did not offer a keyboard.

The added components, the inverter ICs, were necessary to use some keyboards in 1976. Many Apple-1 computers have been modified for auctions in the past. Such added parts were removed and a 1977 or even later Apple II keyboard was attached. The Dryden Apple-1 is still in its 1976 state, including the keyboard. Not everyone agrees that it is worth destroying the board’s history by removing 1976 parts merely to make the mainboard look “clean” and attach a later keyboard.