A Working Apple-1 Signed by Woz is Up for Auction — and Could Fetch $800K
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An original Apple-1 autographed by Apple co-founder Steve “Woz” Wozniak could go for as much as $800,000 when it’s auctioned off in October. It’s one of the fewer than 75 Apple-1 computers known to exist.
The “Hatfield” Apple-1 is number 48 on the Apple-1 registry, and it’s in working condition, making it even more valuable. It is being offered as part of the Bonhams auction house’s upcoming History of Science, Technology & Computing sale.
This particular Apple-1 gets its name from its original owner, Fred Hatfield, a computer enthusiast and employee of Computer Data Systems. The machine is autographed by Wozniak, and the auction includes a letter written to Hatfield and signed by Steve Jobs, authorizing a trade-in for the newly released Apple II after Hatfield complained about the limited availability of Apple-1 software.
While Hatfield declined the offer because he would have been required to pay $400 for the upgrade, the correspondence from Jobs provides a rare glimpse into Apple’s early years, when Jobs and Wozniak were still personally involved in every piece of the fledgling business, from product development to customer support.
Hatfield sold the Apple-1 in 2013 for $40,000. While it was non-functional at the time, the buyer fixed it, got it signed by Woz, and sold it at auction for $671,400. The functional piece of Apple history remains in working order and is now heading back to the auction block.
“The Apple-1 stands among the most important milestones in computing history, and the ‘Hatfield’ example is among the most compelling surviving examples,” commented Ian Ehling, Director of Fine Books & Manuscripts, North America, Bonhams. “As Apple’s first product and one of the world’s earliest commercially available personal computers, it helped lay the foundation for a transformative technological revolution. Surviving examples are exceptionally rare, particularly those that remain operational, and the combination of Steve Wozniak’s signature on the motherboard and the accompanying Steve Jobs-signed letter makes this one of the most significant Apple-1 computers ever to come to market.”
If you’re seriously interested in bidding on one of the most influential computers of the twentieth century — or if you’re simply an enthusiast who wants to see a piece of computer history up close — the “Hatfield” Apple-1 Computer will be available for private and public viewings .
The Apple-1 will be available at Bonhams locations in Los Angeles from September 9–11, in Boston from September 21 –23, in San Francisco from September 30–October 1, and finally New York from October 4–14. Bids will be accepted from October 4 to October 14.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak produced 200 Apple-1 computers in 1976. The device was originally offered as a bare circuit board to be sold as a kit and completed by hobbyists, but Jobs sold 50 fully assembled Apple-1 machines to California-based retailer The Byte Shop. The Byte Shop resold the assembled machines for $666.66.
Operational Apple-1 computers have done quite well at auction, selling for more than $900,000 in the past. Prices for each one sold have varied according to its condition and history.
The Apple-1 computer was an 8-bit personal computer powered by the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, designed solely by Steve Wozniak and first sold by the Apple Computer Company (now Apple Inc.) in 1976. It proved to be the foundation of one of the world’s largest and best known tech firms.
The Apple-1 was unusual in that it was delivered as a pre-assembled motherboard with built-in video display terminal circuitry, allowing it to be connected directly to a household television using a composite video cable, rather than requiring an expensive monitor. Most hobbyist computers of the era were sold as kits requiring the buyer to assemble them. Users did need to supply a case, power supply, and keyboard to complete the system. Powered by the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, it was among the earliest personal computers to offer these capabilities, alongside the Sol-20.
In addition to the “Hatfield” Apple-1 Computer, Bonhams upcoming History of Science, Technology & Computing sale will feature several other significant and historic Apple-related items, including an Apple Lisa 1 Microcomputer, estimated at $50,000–80,000; an Apple Jolly Roger Pirate Flag purchased directly from Susan Kare at Susan Kare Design/ Kare Prints (signed by Kare, with original shipping tube) in 2015; an Apple Paladin prototype, estimated at $40,000 – 60,000; and a clear plastic prototype Apple Macintosh Portable with carrying case, estimated at $10,000 – 15,000.
