Rare Working Apple-1 Computer With Cassette Interface Board Hits eBay - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Rare Working Apple-1 Computer With Cassette Interface Board Hits eBay

by

A rare functional Apple-1 Personal Computer has popped up on eBay this week after its owner decided to downsize his Apple collection. The Apple-1 computer, called the Copson Apple-1 by its current owner, is one of less than 50 known machines in existence. Apple-1 computers are popular with collectors as they were the first computers produced by Apple and were sold by Steve Jobs out of his parents' garage in 1976.

Originally retailing for $666.66, the Apple-1 in the auction was purchased by Joey Copson and held in the same family for more than 36 years. Bob Luther, who was writing a book on a separate Apple-1 computer, came across the Copson Apple-1 during his research and purchased it from Copson's family.

copsonapple1
According to the auction, the Apple-1 was recently serviced and turned on by computer historian Corey Cohen, and it includes an Apple-1 Cassette board accessory. It comes with a date-stamped keyboard and a clam shell case supplied by the original owner. The Copson Apple-1 was originally placed up for auction in 2012 in a non-working condition where it didn't meet the minimum bid, but was later refurbished and repaired.

Watch on YouTube

"The Copson board is an 8 out of 10..." and, "Late in 2014, I was asked to bring the Copson Apple-1 setup back to working state. In the process of my evaluation, the Copson Apple-1 board was chemically stabilized and cleaned. I took extreme care to keep all the discrete components on the board original by performing some minor repairs instead of replacing components unnecessarily, maintaining its originality. The Copson Apple-1 has no cuts, repairs or modifications to the PCB board.

The Datanetics keyboard was completely refurbished, the original Apple Cassette Interface was refurbished and the original power supply made safe and operational.

The Copson Apple-1 is unique due to the futuristic custom plastic case that Joe Copson placed it in. The case appears oddly similar in design to what would be used later by the early Apple II. The distinctive jumper wiring also performed by Joe Copson when he later purchased the Apple Cassette Interface, can also be used to uniquely identify and confirm this is the Copson Apple-1 board from other early Byte Shop Apple-1s that also predate the Apple Cassette Interface's availability."

The Copson Apple-1 is labeled as 01-0022, suggesting that it's potentially an earlier build than other Apple-1 machines that have sold for more money, including a working Apple-1 that sold for $905,000 to the Henry Ford Museum back in October. That machine was numbered "01-0070."

There's no reserve price on the Apple-1 auction, but bidders must be pre-approved. The current bid is at $20,600 and the auction ends in eight days.

Luther is also auctioning off a few other rare Apple items, including an early production Apple II computer. 10 percent of the proceeds from the auctions will go to the ALS Association.

Tag: Apple-1

Top Rated Comments

nagromme Avatar
151 months ago
Wait for 2nd gen.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
151 months ago
It's interesting how no one at Apple at the time didn't appear to have a problem with selling something for $666. That combined with the Apple logo with a bite taken out of it would freak some people out...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
velocityg4 Avatar
151 months ago
How did one pay the $.006?

Pesos
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
furi0usbee Avatar
151 months ago
How many of these are there even left?

----------



I heard Steve Wozniak priced it $666.666 because he liked repeating numbers..
I forget which book it was where it said Jobs had no idea of the meaning of 666. But I don't recall who actually came up with the price. I remember thinking, who doesn't know 666?

----------

It could have been iWoz I heard Jobs didn't know what 666 meant, or maybe both of them didn't know?... Woz takes credit for inventing everything from sliced bread to the first PC in iWoz, so he probably said he chose the price based on something. Listening to iWoz was so painful. I like when other people say how genius someone else is, but when someone is telling you how genius they are, it gets old quick. I couldn't even finish the book. I also didn't like how he used the "i" in his name when he had no association with iDevice, and going back farther, had nothing to do with the Macintosh either, preferring to keep working on the Apple II. So although the guy was key pre-1980, not much since. I really think he could have created some really great things, but for some reason, he just lost his passion to create great things. Steve J. never lost that passion and that's why Apple is where it is today. Thanks Woz, Jan. 1, 1980.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jayducharme Avatar
151 months ago
This is just another sign of their times.

It's also a sign of Jobs' and Wozniak's sense of humor. Jobs priced it that way specifically because it was taboo.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
151 months ago
It's interesting how no one at Apple at the time didn't appear to have a problem with selling something for $666. That combined with the Apple logo with a bite taken out of it would freak some people out...

christian fundamentalists maybe – a lot of them live in the U.S. nowadays.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

apple 1 bonhams

Rare Apple-1 With Steve Jobs Letter Sells for $1.15 Million

Thursday October 15, 2026 5:01 am PDT by
The "Hatfield" Apple-1 has sold for $1,148,200 including the buyer's premium, setting a world auction record for a commercially sold Apple-1, according to Bonhams. Two bidders competed for 28 minutes before the October 14 auction closed, taking the working computer beyond its $500,000 to $800,000 estimate. The machine takes its name from original owner Fred Hatfield, who complained to...
iPhone Duo Display Cracking

Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue

Friday October 30, 2026 3:20 pm PDT by
In a memo shared with Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers this week, and later obtained by MacRumors, Apple provided technicians with guidance on how to diagnose and address the iPhone Duo's inner display cracking issue. If a customer reports the issue, Apple advised technicians to inspect the iPhone Duo and repair or replace it in accordance with their standard procedures....
iPad mini OLED feature 1

Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display

Thursday October 29, 2026 1:47 pm PDT by
While the new iPad mini has an OLED display, the device does not support ProMotion, meaning the display's refresh rate is limited to 60Hz instead of 120Hz. ProMotion support would have allowed for the iPad mini's refresh rate to automatically adjust from 10Hz to 120Hz depending on the content being displayed, but evidently Apple has kept the feature exclusive to the iPad Pro among iPad...
Latest Stories
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
Apple Watch Ultra 4 Hits All-Time Low Price With Amazon's $99 Discount
16 hours ago
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
Reminder: Apple's Big Discount on Beats 360 Ear Cushions Ends Today
16 hours ago
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
Here's a New Tour of Apple's HomeView Software
16 hours ago
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
Apple Reveals New iPad Mini's Battery Capacity
18 hours ago
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
Top Stories: Apple's Big MacBook Pro, iPad mini and iMac Updates
19 hours ago
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
'Pluribus' Season 2 Reportedly Starts Production Today
1 day ago
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
iPhone 18 Pro Sales Surge in China, Offsetting Decline in U.S. and Japan
1 day ago
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
HomeView Software 27.2: Wallpapers, Control Center, and More
1 day ago
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
Apple Alerts Stores to iPhone Duo's Display Cracking Issue
1 day ago
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
iOS 27.3 Will Enable These Apple Intelligence Features in China
1 day ago
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
Apple Says iOS 27.3 Beta Coming Next Week
1 day ago
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
Apple's Flash Storage Suppliers Are Finally 'Getting Their Revenge'
2 days ago
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
14 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 27.2
2 days ago
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
iPhone Duo Review: One Week Later
2 days ago
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in New Ad Campaign
2 days ago
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
The MacRumors Show: OLED MacBook Pro, iPad Mini 8, and More
2 days ago
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
MacBook Pro With Touch Display: 15 More Details Revealed
2 days ago
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
Russia Places Apple on State Surveillance Registry
2 days ago
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
Halloween Weekend Brings Discounts on Apple Accessories and Pre-Orders
2 days ago
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
Apple Has Released More Than 25 New Products in the Past Two Months
2 days ago
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
Local Code Launches as Free, Private AI Assistant Tool for Mac
2 days ago
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
Apple Acquires Ascend.io
2 days ago
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
HomePod Mini 2 Launches Today: All the New Features
2 days ago
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
AirTag 2 4-Pack Drops to New Low Price of $69.99
2 days ago
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
Rian Johnson's iPhone Camera App Goes Viral
2 days ago
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
Where Did All the iPhone Duos Go? Mostly to Apple's Stores
2 days ago
Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Ship 1.5M Units in 2027
Apple's Touchscreen MacBook Pro Could Ship 1.5M Units in 2027
2 days ago
New Apple TV 4K and iPad Mini: RAM Amounts Revealed
New Apple TV 4K and iPad Mini: RAM Amounts Revealed
2 days ago
Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display
Apple Executive Comments on New iPad Mini Lacking 120Hz Display
2 days ago
Here's a Hands-On Look at HomePod Mini 2's New Two-Tone Colors
Here's a Hands-On Look at HomePod Mini 2's New Two-Tone Colors
3 days ago

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors