The very few Apple I computers in existence do seem to keep being auctioned, but now the "Hatfield" unit signed by Steve Wozniak, accompanied with a letter from Steve Jobs, will tour the US before sale.
In July 2026, a working Apple I was sold at auction for $499,363, beating its predicted $300,000. Now Bonhams' auction house is estimating $500,000 to $800,000 for its working model, known as the Hatfield Apple I.
It's called the Hatfield one because it was originally bought from Apple in 1976 by enthusiast Fred Hatfield. Bonhams' estimate is based on that recent sale of another working Apple I, plus two extra elements.
The first is that the motherboard has been signed by its designer and builder, Steve 'Woz' Wozniak. The second and somewhat rarer element, is that the lot includes a letter from Steve Jobs.
Apparently Fred Hatfield had complained about there being little software for the Apple I, and in January 1978 Apple agreed to sell him a discounted Apple II 4K board. In return for his Apple I and a $400 check, Steve Jobs wrote that Apple would send him the board, which then retailed for $598.
That retail price was the equivalent of $3,060 today, while Hatfield was being offered the board for $2,050.
For whatever reason, Hatfield did not take advantage of what was Apple's earliest-ever trade-in offer.
The signed letter from Steve Jobs that is being auctioned alongside the Apple I computer - image credit: Bonhams.
"Surviving examples [of the Apple I] are exceptionally rare, particularly those that remain operational," said Ian Ehling, Director of Fine Books & Manuscripts, North America, Bonhams in a statement to AppleInsider, "and the combination of Steve Wozniak's signature on the motherboard and the accompanying Steve Jobs-signed letter makes this one of the most significant Apple-1 computers ever to come to market."
The auction is part of Bonham's forthcoming History of Science, Technology & Computing sale. As well as this Hatfield Apple I, it is to include an Apple Paladin, a prototype Apple made to combine computer, scanner, and phone, plus an Apple Lisa.
Bonham's auction will also include an Apple "Jolly Roger Pirate Flag" designed and signed by Macintosh icon designer Susan Kare. It shows a skull and crossbones, with one eye socket replaced by the 1970s Apple logo, and is a recreation of a flag that used to fly over Apple's offices.
While the auction is set for October 4-14, 2026, online and in New York, the Hatfield Apple I will be available for viewing across the country. From September 9-11, it will be in Los Angeles, then Boston from September 21-23, concluding in San Francisco from September 30-October 1.
As yet, the company has not specified where the Apple I can be seen. However, Bonhams does operate auction rooms in each of these cities.
In 2024, a check with Steve Jobs's signature on it was put up for auction with an estimate of $25,000. It sold for a reported $66,000.
