What just happened? A 45-year-old working Apple-one estimator, one of just a few even so remaining, has sold for $400,000 at auction. Only 200 of the machines were designed by Steve Wozniak and assembled and tested by Steve Jobs, his sister Patty Jobs, and Daniel Kottke in the Jobs' Los Altos home.

John Moran Auctioneers in Monrovia, California, auctioned off the Apple-ane on Tuesday. Experts had been predicting it would fetch around $500,000. And while information technology went for $100,000 less than that effigy, the auction business firm had estimated it would sell for between $400,000 and $600,000.

Subsequently finishing the Apple-i computers in 1976, 175 were sold for $666.66, reportedly because of Wozniak's dear of repeating numbers. This detail model was one of 50 sold to the ByteShop in Mount View, California. Owner Paul Terrell wasn't happy with what he received as he expected them to be ready for buyers to plug in and use. All the same, Jobs pointed out that all the necessary components were in the box, and Terrell could make a turn a profit by selling keyboards, monitors, and ability supplies within the store. It was ByteShop that added the koa wood instance; at that place are just six known examples of these units all the same in existence.

Only two people owned this Apple tree-ane: the original heir-apparent, an electronics professor at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California; and the student he sold it to in 1977—the professor wanted to upgrade to an Apple II.

The auction house writes that the model has recently undergone an all-encompassing authentication, restoration, and evaluation procedure by one of the foremost experts in the field, who inspected all components and generated a full condition report.

The lot included a copy of of the professional person authentication and status study, a proof of life DVD, user manual and operations guide, a 1986 Panasonic video monitor, Apple software on two cassette tapes, and three original video, power, and cassette interface cables.

While $400,000 is no pocket-sized amount of coin, it's less than half that of the highest sale price ever fetched by an Apple-1: a working version sold for $950,000 at Bonhams in New York in 2022.

Images: John Moran auctioneers, inc.