Rare Apple-1 With Steve Jobs Letter Sells for $1.15 Million
The "Hatfield" Apple-1 has sold for $1,148,200 including the buyer's premium, setting a world auction record for a commercially sold Apple-1, according to Bonhams.
Two bidders competed for 28 minutes before the October 14 auction closed, taking the working computer beyond its $500,000 to $800,000 estimate.
The machine takes its name from original owner Fred Hatfield, who complained to Apple about the lack of software for the Apple-1. A letter included in the sale contains Steve Jobs' 1978 reply, offering an Apple II motherboard in exchange for the Apple-1 and another $400. Hatfield kept his computer.
He eventually sold it privately for $40,000 while it needed repairs. The buyer restored it and obtained Steve Wozniak's signature on the motherboard before it set an auction record in 2013. Bonhams lists that earlier sale as approximately $686,000.
Apple-1 prototypes have fetched more in the past. The "Celebration" board, which sold for $815,000 in 2016, sold for $2.75 million in January 2026.
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