First Apple computer to be auctioned in London

LONDON - The first Apple computer - together with a letter signed by Apple Inc. chief executive Steve Jobs to the original owner - will be sold at a London auction next week.

Described by Christie's as a "historic relic," the Apple-1 was introduced in 1976 and sold without a casing, power supply, keyboard or monitor.

But it was the first personal computer with a fully assembled motherboard, at a time when personal computers were sold as self-assembly kits.

The first Apple-1 computers were priced at $666.66 and were dispatched from Jobs' parents' house in California.

The auction house said the item is rare because all the components are still in their original box and came with a letter signed by Jobs.

It will be sold Nov. 23 and is expected to fetch up to $242,400.

- AP