One of the rare working examples of Apple-1, Apple’s first product in the history of personal computers, is going up for auction again. A sales price of between 500 thousand and 800 thousand dollars is expected for the computer known as “Hatfield Apple-1”. While the number of Apple-1 computers known to have survived today remains below 75, only a smaller portion of them are in working order. Among the factors that increase the value of this example, which is listed at number 48 in the Apple-1 Registry, is that it is in working condition as well as the fact that it bears Steve Wozniak’s signature. Bids will be accepted at the auction between October 4 and October 14.
The history of the Hatfield Apple-1 also explains why the computer’s collectible value is so high. The machine was first purchased by computer enthusiast and Computer Data Systems employee Fred Hatfield. Following Hatfield’s complaints about the Apple-1 software, Steve Jobs allowed a trade-in for the newly released Apple II. However, Hatfield had to pay an additional $400 for this replacement and he did not accept the offer. Among the documents offered for auction along with the computer is a letter written and signed by Jobs to Hatfield.
Hatfield sold Apple-1 for 40 thousand dollars in 2013 after holding it for many years. The computer was not working at that time. The new owner repaired the machine and got it working again; In addition, he got Steve Wozniak, one of Apple’s co-founders, to sign the computer. The same Apple-1, which was later auctioned, was sold for $671,400. The $500,000 to $800,000 estimate for the computer that will now go on sale again leaves a fairly wide range around the previous sales price.
Limited edition of Apple-1 computers drives prices up
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak produced a total of 200 Apple-1 computers in 1976, the year of Apple’s founding. Apple-1 was initially designed as a bare circuit board, rather than a ready-to-use personal computer in the modern sense. It was envisaged that the product would be purchased by computer enthusiasts as a kit and completed with the necessary components. Despite this, Jobs managed to sell 50 fully assembled Apple-1s to The Byte Shop in California. The Byte Shop offered these computers to its customers at a price of $666.66.
The prices achieved by Apple-1 today, when compared to its original sales price, clearly reveal the place of the computer in the world of collection. However, not every Apple-1 has the same value. The physical condition of the computer, whether it works or not, the originality of the components used and the ability to verify past owners with documents can directly affect the auction price. In Hatfield’s case, the signature of Steve Wozniak and the letter signed by Steve Jobs help trace the history of the computer in detail. It is also known that some previously working Apple-1 computers went for over 900 thousand dollars at auctions.
Hatfield Apple-1 can be seen by collectors and interested visitors in different cities before the sale. The auctioneer is planning public and private showings for the computer in Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco and New York. Dates and details of the showings are published on the auctioneer’s website. The bidding process will start on October 4 and end on October 14. In this way, potential buyers will have the opportunity to closely examine the computer and accompanying documents before bidding.
Because Apple-1 prices have varied significantly in past auctions, it is difficult to predict where in the forecast range the Hatfield computer will find a buyer. Its working condition and materials documenting the connection between Jobs and Wozniak make this example remarkable among the surviving Apple-1s. On the other hand, the fact that it was previously sold for 671 thousand 400 dollars provides a concrete price reference for collectors. The fact that one of Apple’s first computers, which was sold for $666.66 about half a century ago, is now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, shows the point that early personal computers have reached in technology collecting. The final sales price will be determined by the rarity of the machine as well as the demand during the auction.
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