一栋房子...
An Apple-1 computer, made in 1976, sold for a record $671,400 on Saturday at
an auction in Germany, including all fees and taxes, said Uwe Breker, the
German auctioneer.
That surpassed the $640,000 record for an Apple-1, set last November at a
sale at the same auction house in Cologne, Germany, Auction Team Breker. The
fall 2012 sale was a sharp rise from the previous record price for an Apple
-1 of $374,500, set in June 2012 at Sotheby’s in New York.
The high prices paid for the machines seem to be explained by the
combination of scarcity, a fascination with the early history of the
computer age, and the mystique of Apple and its founders, Steven P. Jobs and
Stephen G. Wozniak. And some irrational exuberance in the prices, for a
machine that can do very little and originally sold for $666 (about $2,700
in current dollars).
“This really confirms the value of Apple-1’s,” Mr.Breker said in an
interview on Saturday.
The buyer, Mr. Breker said, was a wealthy entrepreneur from the Far East,
who wishes to remain anonymous.
Part of the allure of the earliest Apple machines, Mr. Breker said, is not
what they are, but what they represent. “It is a superb symbol of the
American dream,” he said. “You have two college dropouts from California
who pursued an idea and a dream, and that dream becomes one of the most
admired, successful and valuable companies in the world.”
The anonymous buyer, who can afford to spend more than $670,000 on an old
computer, seems to have enjoyed some version of the entrepreneurial dream
come true, as well.
In an e-mail last week, and a later telephone interview, Mr. Breker said the
original owner of the Apple-1 on sale was Fred Hatfield, a former major
league baseball player in the 1950s, who died in 1998. I included that
account in an article published on Friday.
Early Saturday morning, I received an e-mail from another Fred Hatfield, a
retired electrical engineer living in New Orleans, saying he was the
original owner of the Apple-1 that was auctioned on Saturday. Mr. Hatfield
attached an image of a letter, dated Jan, 18, 1978 and addressed to him,
signed by Mr. Jobs.
Mr. Hatfield had complained about the lack of software for the Apple-1, also
commonly known as Apple I, and Apple had a trade-in program for Apple-1’s.
The letter offered to exchange an Apple II computer for the older machine,
and to send a check for $400 as a further incentive.
When I called Mr. Breker on Saturday, I asked where he got his information
that the original owner was Fred Hatfield, the ballplayer. Mr. Breker said
he recalled that he was told that by Mike Willegal, who maintains an online
registry of Apple-1’s. Mr. Willegal said on Saturday that he did not recall
saying Fred Hatfield, the Apple-1 owner, was the former professional
baseball player.
In any case, Mr. Hatfield in New Orleans said he held onto his Apple-1 until
earlier this year. Then, a young man from Texas in the software business,
whom Mr. Hatfield would not identify, inquired. They negotiated a price — $
40,000.
The Apple-1, Mr. Hatfield said, was not then in working condition. The buyer
apparently put in some new chips and wiring, since it was a working model
when it sold on Saturday. After picking up the machine, Mr. Hatfield said,
the young man flew off to California to get the machine signed by Mr.
Wozniak, who designed the Apple-1. That also enhanced its value presumably.
Told the of sale price, Mr. Hatfield said, “My God.” Then, he added, “
Best to him. He’s the one who fixed it up and figured the best way to sell
it for all that money. Evidently, he’s very good at this.”
Mr. Hatfield, 84, gives historic tours of New Orleans, his hometown. Not
surprisingly, he’s a jazz fan. He said he planned to use his proceeds to
pay for some good dinners and nights of music on Frenchmen Street.
“I figure I might as well enjoy the money I got from that old machine,” he
said.
