Apple I 'Hatfield' Sells for $1.15 Million at Auction

A rare Apple I computer, known as the "Hatfield" machine, has sold for $1,148,200 at a Bonhams auction, the auction house announced. The final price far exceeded the pre-sale estimate of up to $800,000. The buyer has not been identified.

Built in 1976, the machine was originally sold for $666.60 to Fred Hatfield. It is one of only 74 verified Apple I units remaining and is listed as number 48 on the official registry. According to Bonhams, it is also one of the few still in working condition.

The auction included more than just the computer. The buyer receives a letter from Steve Jobs encouraging Hatfield to send in his motherboard for an upgrade to the Apple II. The lot also includes the original Apple I operation manual, a cassette operating manual, an invitation to join the Apple I Owners Club, a custom power supply, a period monitor, and keyboards. The machine bears Steve Wozniak's signature.

When this same unit was auctioned in 2013, it sold for $671,400. Bonhams promoted the latest sale with a public display in New York last month. Bidding reportedly boiled down to two parties who drove the price well past expectations.

"We are delighted with this exceptional result for the 'Hatfield' Apple I, one of the most important milestones in computing history," Bonhams' 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 not a consumer-friendly device. It shipped without a power supply, keyboard, or monitor. This particular unit was configured with 8KB of RAM and a MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor, sufficient to run Apple Integer Basic and a few games via the optional Apple Cassette Interface.

Bonhams notes that the Jobs letter illustrates how hands-on the co-founders were in Apple's early days, handling everything from design and production to customer support. Hatfield declined the upgrade offer and later sold the machine for $40,000. He told The New York Times in 2013 that he used the money to enjoy dinners and nights out on Frenchmen Street in his hometown of New Orleans. "I figure I might as well enjoy the money I got from that old machine," he said.

This sale underscores the strong market for vintage technology with historical provenance. While the Apple I was a commercial niche product, its role as Apple's first offering and its connection to Jobs and Wozniak give it outsized significance among collectors. The record price suggests that demand for such artifacts remains robust, even as the original functional limitations are well documented.