Steve Wozniak‑Signed Apple‑1Motherboard Set to Command $800K at Bonhams Auction

The upcoming online sale by Bonhams in New York will feature a fully functional Apple‑1motherboard that bears Steve Wozniak’s signature. The item is expected to reach a price tag of up to $800,000, with a current estimate ranging from $500,000 to $800,000. Only about seventy‑five of the original 1976 models are known to exist, and just six are still operational, which adds to its appeal. The auction will run from October fourth through the fourteenth, drawing attention from collectors and tech enthusiasts alike.

The board is stamped with the text “Apple Computer 1 / Palo Alto. Ca. Copyright 1976” and carries an “NTI” mark, indicating it belongs to the second production batch. Inside the circuit sits a MOS Technology MCS 6502/2977 processor, eight kilobytes of RAM, and three original Sprague capacitors. Connectivity includes a keyboard port, an expansion slot, a cassette board connector, and the original Apple cassette interface board that reads “Apple 1 Cassette Interface Copyright 1976.” These ports reflect the wide range of options available to early computer users.

The lot comes with a full set of original papers. There is an operation guide for the Apple‑1, a preliminary Apple BASIC manual that has a green cover and Apple’s Newton logo, a cassette interface manual, and a typed invitation to join the “Apple‑1 Owners Club.” Also included is a letter signed by Steve Jobs, written in his role as vice president of Apple Computers. Dated January eighteenth, 1978, the letter addresses Fred Hatfield, the original purchaser, and authorizes a trade‑in worth $400 toward an Apple II 4k board. Additional hardware in the package consists of a 1977 Koyo TMC‑9‑M monitor, a custom power supply, a Panasonic RQ‑2102 portable cassette recorder, and two ASCII keyboards—one from Apple and another from an unknown maker.

This particular board has appeared at auction before. In May two thousand thirteen it sold for €516,461, which was roughly $671,000 at the time, at a sale in Cologne, Germany. The original buyer, Fred Hatfield, acquired the machine in nineteen seventy‑6 for about seven hundred dollars. Its rarity, working condition, and the signatures of both Wozniak and Jobs contribute to its high valuation and the anticipation of another strong bid.