The famous Apple I "Hatfield" computer, signed by Steve Wozniak, has sold to an unknown buyer for a record $1,148,200, the auction house Bonhams announced. Built in 1976 and originally sold for $666.60 to Fred Hatfield, the machine is one of only 74 verified Apple I models left and one of the very few still in working condition.
The lot includes a letter from Steve Jobs encouraging Hatfield to send in his motherboard for an upgrade to the Apple II. The buyer also receives the original Apple I operation manual, a cassette operating manual, an invitation to join the Apple I Owners Club, a custom power supply, a period monitor and keyboards. The machine last sold at auction in 2013 for $671,400. To build interest, Bonhams publicized the sale last month and displayed it in New York. The bidding reportedly came down to two people and pushed the price well beyond the expected top range of $800,000.
"We are delighted with this exceptional result for the 'Hatfield' Apple I, one of the most important milestones in computing history," Bonhams' Ian Ehling told Apple Insider. "It was an honor to offer Apple's first product during the company's 50th anniversary year."
The Apple I was far from consumer-friendly, shipping without a power supply, keyboard or monitor. This model had 8KB of RAM and a MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, enough to run Apple Integer Basic and a few games through the optional Apple Cassette Interface. Hatfield declined the upgrade offer and eventually sold the machine for $40,000, money he spent on dinners and nights out on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans. "I figure I might as well enjoy the money I got from that old machine," he told The New York Times in 2013.
Source: Engadget · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing