Signed Apple I sells for a record $1.15 million at auction
The signed Apple I known as “Hatfield” sold for a record $1,148,200 to an unidentified buyer, far exceeding the expected top price of $800,000. The sale highlights the value collectors place on rare early computing hardware and on the machine’s personal links to Apple’s founders.
Built in 1976 and originally sold to Fred Hatfield for $666.60, it is one of 74 verified Apple I computers and remains in working condition. It includes Steve Wozniak’s signature, a Steve Jobs letter offering an upgrade to an Apple II, and original manuals and accessories; it last sold at auction in 2013 for $671,400.
- A signed Apple I sold for a record $1,148,200.
- The 1976 computer is one of 74 verified examples.
- A Steve Jobs upgrade letter adds to its history.
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The Apple I was Apple’s first computer, designed by co-founder Steve Wozniak and sold as a circuit board in 1976. Buyers often had to add a case, keyboard and screen themselves, so surviving complete examples are rare.
Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs founded Apple in the 1970s, when personal computers were beginning to reach hobbyists and businesses. The Hatfield machine is linked to them through Wozniak’s signature and a letter from Jobs, as well as its original documents and accessories.
Collectors value early computers for their rarity, condition and connection to the history of the technology industry. The Hatfield Apple I is one of a small number of verified examples and is still working.
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Originally published by Engadget as “Apple I ‘Hatfield’ computer signed by Woz fetches a record $1.15 million at auction”.