Prototype Apple Computer Sells For $950,000 At Auction
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A vintage Apple computer that was one of only 50 made in Steve Jobs' garage in 1976 sold sold for $905,000 at auction on Madison Avenue Wednesday.
Bonhams Fine Art Auctioneers & Valuers in Midtown East said the winning bid on Wednesday came from The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.
The final price was far above the pre-sale estimate of $300,000 to $500,000.
The computer has an intact motherboard, as well as a vintage keyboard and monitor.
"When acquiring artifacts for The Henry Ford's Archive of American Innovation, we look at how the items will expand our ability to tell the important stories of American culture and its greatest innovators," Patricia Mooradian, president of The Henry Ford, told Anthony Domanico of CNET. "Similar to what Henry Ford did with the Model T, Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs put technology directly in the hands of the people with the creation of the Apple-1, completely altering the way we work and live. The Apple-1 was not only innovative, but it is a key artifact in the foundation of the digital revolution."
The Bonhams History of Science Auction was the auction house's first sale in New York City of items connected to science and technology.
Other lots included a letter by Charles Darwin to a colleague about the sex life of barnacles, and a Helmholtz sound synthesizer from 1905 -- the earliest electrical keyboard.
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