The same model sold for over $671,000 in 2013.
A piece of Apple history is up for auction again. The Apple I “Hatfield” computer, sold for $671,400 in 2013, will be back on the market this fall. This time, auction house Bonhams expects it to sell for between $500,000 and $800,000, slightly more than its original retail price of $666.66.
This particular Apple I gets its nickname from its original owner, Fred Hatfield, who purchased it during Apple’s inaugural year. The machine, still in working order, is listed at No. 48 in the Apple I registry. Today, there are fewer than 75 Apple I computers surviving, and even fewer still operational. The motherboard is signed by Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who designed the computer.
Apple’s first product
It’s hard to consider the Apple I a user-friendly product by today’s standards. After all, buyers had to provide their own power supply, keyboard, and monitor. There was 4 KB of RAM. But by the mid-1970s, a machine with a fully assembled motherboard and integrated video output was as accessible as a computer. Only about 200 Apple I computers were produced.
Today, the Apple I is valued more for its historical significance and rarity than for its status as a world-changing product. It was only with the Apple II that the company broke away from the hobbyist market and became the household name it is today.
“Steven Jobs – Vice President, Operations”
Breker Cologne Auction Team / YouTube
In addition to the autographed Apple I, the well-heeled buyer will also receive a letter signed by Steve Jobs. In addition to being a prime collectible, the letter illustrates that, in the 1970s, Jobs apparently handled at least part of the company’s customer service.
Hatfield had contacted Apple to complain about the lack of software for the first generation computer. In the 1978 letter, Jobs responded with a takeover offer. “This letter confirms our conversation of January 16,” Jobs wrote. “You are hereby authorized to send Apple Computer Inc. your Apple I (without memory) and a check for $400.00 and in return you will receive an Apple Il 4K card. We hope to hear from you soon.”
Hatfield refused and later sold the Apple I to a collector for $40,000. It’s a fraction of what it’s worth today, but at least the original owner used that money to pay for nice dinners and nights of music in New Orleans.
Bonhams plans to show off the Apple I before the October 14 auction. The auction house will present it in Los Angeles from September 9 to 11, in Boston from September 21 to 23, in San Francisco from September 30 to October 1 and finally in New York during its October sale.
