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Lot #8028
Apple Computer Early Ephemera Display of (60) Items

Samples, prototypes, and rarities—a collection of 60 pieces of early Apple Computer ephemera

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Estimate: $8000+
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Description

Samples, prototypes, and rarities—a collection of 60 pieces of early Apple Computer ephemera

Incredible collection of 60 pieces of rare, limited, or prototype Apple Computer ephemera, consisting of hard-to-find pins, necklaces, tie tacks, keychains, pens, paperclips, earrings, and belt buckles, some of which are appearing on the market for the very first time. All of the items were obtained by Kenneth Silverman, a former Silicon Valley engineer and a founding member of the first Apple User Group, The San Francisco Apple Core. The collection, which has been neatly and attractively mounted and framed to an overall size of 20 x 22, contains the following items:

1. Brass belt buckle with enamel design of the Apple rainbow logo against a black background; made by International Datawares, only five prototypes were produced, four of which were presented to Apple employees.

2. Brass belt buckle with the Apple logo design; this design was sold in Apple’s 1983 Gift Catalog.

3. Red enamel Apple logo “Lisa” pin with the gold text erroneously slanting down; the design was intended to have the text directed upwards.

4. Limited edition rainbow pin in the shape of an Apple III personal computer; International Datawares designed and created 20 prototype samples of this pin for Apple.

5. Rare Apple hot air balloon pin with rainbow logos; the consignor notes that this pin was only obtained by flying in the Apple Computer hot air balloon and that the pin was attained when he rode the balloon at a party held at Steve Wozniak’s residence in Los Gatos.

6. Limited edition pair of Apple logo rainbow earrings; produced by International Datawares, 10 pairs of these enamel earrings were made as prototypes for Apple Computer.

7. Rare “Lisa” Apple logo pin; produced by International Datawares, this enamel pin was worn by employees and dealers who received one upon completion of Apple’s Lisa product training program. Apple never offered these pins for sale to the general public.

8. A “Lisa” necklace with a pendant similar to the above pin; this necklace was one of a handful of prototype samples made by International Datawares and then presented to Apple, who ultimately never purchased them.

9. Two Apple rainbow logo pins with central text representing the Apple IIe and III computers; produced by International Datawares, these enamel pins were made in a limited quantity for internal Apple use.

10. Two Apple rainbow logo pins that were sold in small and large sizes in Apple’s 1983 Gift Catalog.

11. Apple rainbow logo necklace that was sold in Apple’s 1983 Gift Catalog.

12. Set of four Macintosh pins with Apple rainbow logos; the white background pin was sold in Apple’s 1986 Gift Catalog and came in pin and broach versions; the gray and blue background pins were prototypes made by International Datawares.

13. Two iPad and iPhone UK pins with central Union Jack imagery; these pins could only be obtained in London at an Apple Computer Store during the 2012 Summer Olympics.

14. Apple rainbow logo keychain sold by Apple in their 1986 Gift Catalog.

15. Silver-tone Apple lock-style keychain sold by Apple at their headquarters store in Cupertino, California.

16. Group of five keychains produced in limited quantity International Datawares, each featuring enamel Apple logo designs representing the Apple IIc, IIe, III, and Macintosh; these keychains were presented to Apple employees.

17. Set of six Macintosh OS ‘Happy Face’ pins, produced in several colors in limited quantity by International Datawares.

18. Very rare International Apple Core (IAC) pin, produced by International Datawares and only made available to members of the IAC.

19. Three Apple rainbow and Macintosh logo stickpins, all of which are prototypes made by International Datawares.

20. Early Apple “Croix D’Apple” pin dating to the late 1970s, early 1980s. Apple made two versions of this pin to reward both employees and subcontractors for their exceptional service; this reward program was discontinued in 1982.

21. Apple rainbow logo tie tack that was sold in Apple’s 1983 Gift Catalog.

22. Apple logo pin for the Apple III computer that was made by International Datawares and used briefly by Apple.

23. Square Apple IIc pin that was sold in Apple’s 1986 Gift Catalog.

24. Very rare “AppleCare” pin with gold text over an enamel rainbow logo and background.

25. Circular Apple “Newton” promotional lapel pin, which Apple produced for the launch of the Newton message pad at the end of 1993.

26. Rare “AppleLink” broach pin that was only made available to Apple dealers.

27. Rare vintage Apple “Macintosh Plus” black-and-gold lapel pin; Apple provided a limited number of these lapel pins to authorized dealers as promo items when the Macintosh Plus was introduced in 1986.

28. A “Macintosh Plus” broach pin produced by International Datawares.

29. Apple rainbow logo paperclip that was sold in the Apple 1986 Gift Catalog.

30. Square “Macintosh Classic “ pin that was provided by Apple Corp. in the early 1990s as a promotional item.

31. Silver and gold-tone Cross Apple pens sold in the company’s 1983 and 1986 gift catalogs; the silver version is the rarer of the two.

32. An International Apple Core (IAC) pen by Cross with Apple globe logo; these pens were given to employees at the IAC office in San Jose, California.

33. An “Applexpo” lapel pin was provided by Apple Computer in the early 1990s for the Applexpo annual exhibition in Paris.

34. Scarce metal “System 7” pin with an embossed central Applo logo.

35. Rare Apple University Consortium (AUC) pin for “Wheels for the Mind” program; the logo, designed by Clement Mok, represents a cyclist carrying a Mac and his mouse.

36. Seldom-seen “Apple User Group Connection” lapel pin promoting Apple user group connection. Created in 1985 and headed by Apple employee Ellen Leanse, the AUGC allowed Apple to communicate directly with its users; the pin’s value is also a testament to Apple Computer’s history of communication with Mac users.

37. Rare Apple “Word Processing” pin, with a gold Apple logo inside a white scroll and above a red border.

38. Uncommon “Claris Solutions Alliance” pin that was only made available to members. Claris International Inc., formerly FileMaker Inc., is a computer software development company formed as a subsidiary company of Apple Computer in 1987.

39. Rare Uniball pen from 1977 with barrel text: “Apple II Forever!”

40. White Kreuzer pen with the red Apple logo that was a give-away at an Apple Expo.

41. Vintage badge button with Apple Computer rainbow logo.

In overall fine condition. The lot is accompanied by a provenance letter from Silverman, a San Francisco Apple Core magazine entitled “The Best of Cider Press, 1978-1979,” an issue of Apple Orchard magazine from May-June 1982, and a flash drive containing images of Silverman posing with Wozniak at a 2004 Mac Club meeting, PDFs of the 1983 and 1986 Apple Gift Catalogs, and a PDF of the first issue of Apple Orchard magazine.

Auction Info

  • Auction Title: Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution
  • Dates: #660 - Ended March 16, 2023