A “beautifully preserved in working condition” Apple 1 computer motherboard signed by Steve Wozniak, accompanied by a letter signed by Steve Jobs, is up for auction next month at Bonhams in New York. The official estimate for this precious piece of computing history is US$500,000 – US$800,000, but we note that this ‘Hatfield’ Apple 1 previously sold for $686,000 in 2013. Let’s take a closer look at what you could get for your slightly under a million dollars.
This isn’t just an artifact to be encased in a glass cabinet. You could do that, of course, but Bonhams assures auction watchers that this Apple 1 is a working model. It also seems to come with all the essential accessories you’d need to get some computing done.
The motherboard is the centerpiece of the sale, of course. It is labeled “Apple Computer 1 / Palo Alto. Ca. Copyright 1976,” on the component side, with ‘NTI’ stamp underneath (second batch), and the board is complete with a white ceramic MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, keyboard interface and connector, 3 original Sprague ‘Big Blue’ capacitors, 8KB RAM, expansion connector, cassette board connector, original Apple cassette interface board labeled ‘Apple 1 Cassette Interface Copyright 1976,’ explains the auctioneer description of the lot.
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A period-appropriate monitor, cassette recorder, and pair of ASCII keyboards make up the ‘Hatfield’ Apple 1 hardware offering. Then there is also a selection of manuals, which would have come with the hardware bought in the late 1970s. An original Apple-1 Operation Manual; an original Preliminary Apple BASIC Users Manual with a green coversheet bearing Apple’s original Newton logo, and an original Apple 1 Cassette Interface manual are included in the sale.
Another attraction of this auction is undoubtedly the Steven Jobs-signed letter. It is a letter from Jobs (dated 1978) to the original owner, Fred Hatfield, authorizing the exchange of the Apple 1 for an Apple II 4k board. The letter came in response to Hatfield complaining about the lack of software for the Apple 1. Jobs signed the letter making the offer, and it includes his title at the time: Vice President, Operations of Apple Computer Inc.
We’ve reported on Apple 1 auctions before, and this Hatfield sample is one of the most desirable Apple hardware artifacts, being from a batch personally designed and hand-built – then signed – by Steve Wozniak. The Apple 1 computer was first demonstrated in early 1976. Fellow Homebrew Computer Club members and Byte Shop visitors would buy up the first batch of (50) Apple 1 devices in the summer of 1976. Fred Hatfield, a computing enthusiast working at Computer Data Systems in Columbus, Ohio, bought his model sometime in 1976 from the second batch made available. In total, less than 200 Apple 1 systems were made.
The Hatfield Apple 1 last changed hands in 2013, achieving $686,000 at auction. Now, 13 years later, the estimated range of US$500,000 – US$800,000 might seem low, but sometimes auctioneers do this to catch broader interest. This Apple 1 will be sold as part of the History of Science, Technology & Computing auctions at Bonhams, New York, between October 4 and 14. You will be able to take part in the auction online.
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