The famous Apple I “Hatfield” computer signed by Steve Wozniak just sold to an unknown buyer for a record $1,148,200, the auction house Bonhams announced. The machine, built in 1976 and originanlly sold for $666.60 to a certain Fred Hatfield, is one of only 74 verified Apple I models left (number 48 on the registry) and one of the very few still in working condition.
Along with Woz’s signature, it comes with a letter from Steve Jobs encouraging Hatfield to send in his motherboard for an upgrade to the Apple II model. The buyer also receives the original Apple I operation manual, a cassette operating manual, an invitation to join the Apple I Owners Club and a custom power supply, along with a period monitor and keyboards.
Bonhams
The last time this particular machine went up for auction in 2013, it sold for $671,400. To boost interest, Bonhams publicized the auction last month and put it on display in New York. The bidding reportedly came down to two people, who paddled 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,” Bonham’s 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, as it didn’t even come with a power supply, let alone a keyboard and monitor. This model was sold with 8KB of RAM and a MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, enough to run Apple Integer Basic and a few games via the optional Apple Cassette Interface.
Bonhams
The letter from Jobs offering an Apple II upgrade is what makes this Apple I example particularly interesting. “The letter serves as a testament to just how personally involved Jobs and Wozniak were in the early days of Apple, doing everything from designing and producing the products, to running customer support,” Bonhams explains in the auction page.
Hatfield fortunately declined and eventually ended up selling the machine for $40,000. He famously used that cash to pay for some nice dinners and nights out on Frenchmen Street in his New Orleans hometown. “I figure I might as well enjoy the money I got from that old machine,” he told The New York Times back in 2013.