Bonhams, a renowned auction house in the industry, will hold a special auction this October featuring a fully operational vintage Apple I computer. The auction house estimates the final price to be between $500,000 and $800,000 (approximately RMB 3.55 million to 5.68 million).
The Apple I was Apple's inaugural product launched in 1976, with Jobs and Wozniak producing a total of 200 units. Currently, fewer than 75 Apple I computers are known to exist worldwide, most of which can no longer boot up; those capable of full operation are extremely rare.
This Apple I computer up for auction is listed as number 48 in the official registry and is known within the industry as the "Hatfield" edition. Its hardware remains fully functional and operational.
The motherboard bears the autograph of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and the lot includes a handwritten letter from Steve Jobs addressed to the original owner.
Records show that the computer's original owner, Fred Hatfield, once complained to Jobs about software issues. Jobs approved a $400 trade-in credit (approximately RMB 2,840) towards the newly released Apple II, but Hatfield declined. This decision allowed the computer to be preserved to this day.
Looking at its transaction history, the computer's value has grown exponentially. In 2013, Hatfield sold it to a buyer for $40,000 (approximately RMB 284,000), at which time the device was non-functional.
The buyer then had it professionally restored and asked Wozniak to add his signature, leading to its eventual sale at a subsequent auction for $671,400 (approximately RMB 4.77 million).
Currently, the auction house has arranged offline exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, and other locations, with online bidding open from October 4 to October 14.