Computing
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
Astrolabes are not here but in Astronomy.
See also : Ancient science Inventions
Astrolabes are not here but in Astronomy.
See also : Ancient science Inventions
1502 Summa by Pacioli
2019 SOLD for $ 1.21M by Christie's
Born in Tuscany, Luca Pacioli receives a trade-oriented education. He meets (probably in Urbino) Piero della Francesca who was born in the same borgo as him. Piero is one of the most eclectic spirits of the Renaissance, able to integrate into his theories both mathematics and pictorial art.
Luca settles permanently in Venice in the 1470s as a Franciscan friar. Venice is a city of merchants. He reads the works of his most important predecessors including Fibonacci. He continues to teach and prepares a compilation of the whole knowledge in terms of arithmetic, geometry and study of proportions, to which he adds the best accounting practices of the Venetian trade.
In the best tradition of the antique and Arabic science which includes for example Euclid, Aristotle, Ptolemy and Avicenna, Pacioli is a compiler. He relies among other sources on the Liber Abaci prepared in 1202 by Fibonacci, which demonstrated that the Indo-Arabic numbering system is much better than the Roman numerals.
Pacioli does not omit anything about arithmetic and its applications. He promotes the double entry bookkeeping already practiced by some merchants, separating the recordings of debit and credit. He illustrates the position of fingers to identify high numbers in the decimal system. He defines the perfect proportions in the arrangements of elementary geometrical figures.
Luca writes his textbook in Italian and not in Latin, to ensure that it will be well understood by the merchants. His book titled Summa di arithmetica, geometria, proporzioni e proporzionalita, published in Venice in 1494, is the first arithmetic treatise in the vernacular. Of middle class origin, Pacioli wants above all to provide a guide of good practices for the merchants.
He succeeded beyond all hope. Merchants follow his recommendations, constantly maintaining a situation analysis of their business. The clarity of their accountings puts an end to the mistrust of their clients.
A copy announced in superb condition of the first issue of the first edition in its original binding was sold for € 550K by Finarte on June 20, 2019. lot 507. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Leonardo da Vinci buys in the following year a copy from the same issue. Without doubt at his request, Luca joins the court of Ludovico Sforza in Milan in 1496. The collaboration of the mathematician and the artist is early interrupted by the wars of Italy but it is fruitful, deepening and applying the concept of golden ratio. Paganinus publishes their joint work in 1509 in Venice under the title Divina proporzione. Leonardo reuses in his Last Supper the geometrical principles proposed by the mathematician. A direct influence by Pacioli on Dürer is also very likely.
On June 12, 2019, Christie's sold for $ 1.21M at lot 1 a complete copy of the second issue of the first edition, printed circa 1502 by Paganinus after a few typographical reworks. This book is in its original state : it was not trimmed and has kept its period vellum wrapper. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Luca settles permanently in Venice in the 1470s as a Franciscan friar. Venice is a city of merchants. He reads the works of his most important predecessors including Fibonacci. He continues to teach and prepares a compilation of the whole knowledge in terms of arithmetic, geometry and study of proportions, to which he adds the best accounting practices of the Venetian trade.
In the best tradition of the antique and Arabic science which includes for example Euclid, Aristotle, Ptolemy and Avicenna, Pacioli is a compiler. He relies among other sources on the Liber Abaci prepared in 1202 by Fibonacci, which demonstrated that the Indo-Arabic numbering system is much better than the Roman numerals.
Pacioli does not omit anything about arithmetic and its applications. He promotes the double entry bookkeeping already practiced by some merchants, separating the recordings of debit and credit. He illustrates the position of fingers to identify high numbers in the decimal system. He defines the perfect proportions in the arrangements of elementary geometrical figures.
Luca writes his textbook in Italian and not in Latin, to ensure that it will be well understood by the merchants. His book titled Summa di arithmetica, geometria, proporzioni e proporzionalita, published in Venice in 1494, is the first arithmetic treatise in the vernacular. Of middle class origin, Pacioli wants above all to provide a guide of good practices for the merchants.
He succeeded beyond all hope. Merchants follow his recommendations, constantly maintaining a situation analysis of their business. The clarity of their accountings puts an end to the mistrust of their clients.
A copy announced in superb condition of the first issue of the first edition in its original binding was sold for € 550K by Finarte on June 20, 2019. lot 507. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Leonardo da Vinci buys in the following year a copy from the same issue. Without doubt at his request, Luca joins the court of Ludovico Sforza in Milan in 1496. The collaboration of the mathematician and the artist is early interrupted by the wars of Italy but it is fruitful, deepening and applying the concept of golden ratio. Paganinus publishes their joint work in 1509 in Venice under the title Divina proporzione. Leonardo reuses in his Last Supper the geometrical principles proposed by the mathematician. A direct influence by Pacioli on Dürer is also very likely.
On June 12, 2019, Christie's sold for $ 1.21M at lot 1 a complete copy of the second issue of the first edition, printed circa 1502 by Paganinus after a few typographical reworks. This book is in its original state : it was not trimmed and has kept its period vellum wrapper. Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
The remarkable story of a Renaissance book described as ‘the most influential work in the history of capitalism’. Summa de Arithmetica by #LucaPacioli will be offered in #NewYork on 12 June https://t.co/3RHX5Ca3kZ pic.twitter.com/ERxXY9fmhe
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) May 24, 2019
This June 12 we will offer at auction Luca Pacioli’s Summa de Arithmetica: The Birth of Modern Business in #NewYork. Known to represent "the pinnacle of mathematical knowledge in the Renaissance" Pacioli's book is considerably an icon of the history of all human knowledge. pic.twitter.com/RYSyANDl4V
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) February 21, 2019
1618 Manuscript by Kepler
2022 SOLD for $ 880K by Bonhams
Johannes Kepler, born in a modest family, had an early interest in astronomy. He endeavored to help his mother accused of witchcraft. His intuition that astrology meets exact mechanisms that can be described in models made him the first modern physicist.
Kepler understood that the heliocentric model of Copernicus was not enough. The demonstration proposed by Copernicus is admirable but is indeed nothing more than a calculation.
Kepler had a poor eyesight and was not himself an astronomer. He joined the team of Tycho Brahe in Prague. Kepler used the highly accurate observations made by Brahe while opposing his planetary system that did not explain the orbit of Mars. His own work led him to demonstrate that the orbit of a planet is not circular but elliptical.
He now sees the sun as a motor that generates a greater speed when the planet is closer and compares this effect to a magnet. Newton will rely directly on Kepler's results to formulate the law of universal gravitation.
Kepler prepares from 1600 to 1606 the presentation of his first two laws, summarized above. A dispute with Brahe's heirs suspends the publication until 1609. The title, Astronomia nova, shows Kepler's rightful ambition to offer a completely new approach in this domain. Astrophysics was indeed born with this book.
The printed quantity is very small : the author is an employee of the Emperor Rudolph II and the edition is done without a commercial intent. To compensate for some salary delays, Kepler obtains the right to sell a few copies.
A copy of Astronomia Nova which belonged to the Royal Institution of Great Britain was sold for £ 146K by Christie's on December 1, 2015, lot 245. Other copies were sold for £ 212K by Sotheby's on May 20, 2014, and for $ 230K by Christie's on June 17, 2008.
The next scientific wonder is the development of abstract mathematics with Napier's theory of the logarithms, published in 1614, simplifying the multiplication by establishing a corresponding table which can be used by addition.
The second law of Kepler, about the speed of the planets, was better characterized by him as the fact that a line segment between a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time. He will be one of the earliest scientific users of the logarithms. His third law, known as the harmonic law, defines a relationship between the distance of planets from the Sun, and their orbital periods.
On October 25, 2022, Bonhams sold for $ 880K an autograph working scientific manuscript in Latin by Johannes Kepler, in four pages 22 x 34 cm, lot 1009.
That early trial of using logarithms for calculating the movements of the planets is densely written with many deletions and emendations. Its terminus post quem is 1618 when Kepler got a copy of Napier's tables. The terminus ante quem is the publishing by Kepler of his third law in 1619. The manuscript narrated above was published by him in 1620.
Kepler understood that the heliocentric model of Copernicus was not enough. The demonstration proposed by Copernicus is admirable but is indeed nothing more than a calculation.
Kepler had a poor eyesight and was not himself an astronomer. He joined the team of Tycho Brahe in Prague. Kepler used the highly accurate observations made by Brahe while opposing his planetary system that did not explain the orbit of Mars. His own work led him to demonstrate that the orbit of a planet is not circular but elliptical.
He now sees the sun as a motor that generates a greater speed when the planet is closer and compares this effect to a magnet. Newton will rely directly on Kepler's results to formulate the law of universal gravitation.
Kepler prepares from 1600 to 1606 the presentation of his first two laws, summarized above. A dispute with Brahe's heirs suspends the publication until 1609. The title, Astronomia nova, shows Kepler's rightful ambition to offer a completely new approach in this domain. Astrophysics was indeed born with this book.
The printed quantity is very small : the author is an employee of the Emperor Rudolph II and the edition is done without a commercial intent. To compensate for some salary delays, Kepler obtains the right to sell a few copies.
A copy of Astronomia Nova which belonged to the Royal Institution of Great Britain was sold for £ 146K by Christie's on December 1, 2015, lot 245. Other copies were sold for £ 212K by Sotheby's on May 20, 2014, and for $ 230K by Christie's on June 17, 2008.
The next scientific wonder is the development of abstract mathematics with Napier's theory of the logarithms, published in 1614, simplifying the multiplication by establishing a corresponding table which can be used by addition.
The second law of Kepler, about the speed of the planets, was better characterized by him as the fact that a line segment between a planet and the sun sweeps out equal areas during equal intervals of time. He will be one of the earliest scientific users of the logarithms. His third law, known as the harmonic law, defines a relationship between the distance of planets from the Sun, and their orbital periods.
On October 25, 2022, Bonhams sold for $ 880K an autograph working scientific manuscript in Latin by Johannes Kepler, in four pages 22 x 34 cm, lot 1009.
That early trial of using logarithms for calculating the movements of the planets is densely written with many deletions and emendations. Its terminus post quem is 1618 when Kepler got a copy of Napier's tables. The terminus ante quem is the publishing by Kepler of his third law in 1619. The manuscript narrated above was published by him in 1620.
1642 Pascaline
2025 for sale on November 19 by Christie's
to be narrated
Pre sale thought by Grok :
Christie's Books @ChristiesBKS
The Pascaline is still on view in New York, until Wednesday, October 15 - don’t miss this unique opportunity to see the first calculating machine in human history, invented by Blaise Pascal when he was only 19. De la collection Léon Parcé: live auction in Paris, November 19
Thought for 12s
Christie's Books @ChristiesBKS
The Pascaline is still on view in New York, until Wednesday, October 15 - don’t miss this unique opportunity to see the first calculating machine in human history, invented by Blaise Pascal when he was only 19. De la collection Léon Parcé: live auction in Paris, November 19
Thought for 12s
- This X post from Christie's Books highlights a rare 1642 Pascaline, Blaise Pascal's groundbreaking mechanical calculator invented at age 19 to automate tax computations, currently viewable in New York until October 15, 2025.
- The device, featuring brass gears for addition and subtraction within an ornate wooden case, originates from the Léon Parcé collection of historic scientific instruments and anchors a Paris auction on November 19 estimated at 2-3 million euros.
- Pascal's innovation, one of about 50 surviving examples from 10 prototypes, underscores 17th-century engineering prowess, influencing later computing developments like Leibniz's stepped reckone
The Pascaline is still on view in New York, until Wednesday, October 15 - don’t miss this unique opportunity to see the first calculating machine in human history, invented by Blaise Pascal when he was only 19.
— Christie's Books (@ChristiesBKS) October 13, 2025
De la collection Léon Parcé: live auction in Paris, November 19 pic.twitter.com/IGjgag40Nk
1942 Notebook by Turing
2015 SOLD for $ 1.02M by Bonhams
The great mathematicians desired to determine whether logic could be sufficient to explain the world. By analyzing the most abstract and difficult problems with his innovative thinking, Alan Turing managed his research so far that real applications have emerged.
He was a visionary in artificial intelligence at the time when the first modern computers were developed around John von Neumann. During the war, working on the logic of algorithms, he broke the encryption of German Enigma machines previously considered as inviolable.
On April 13, 2015, Bonhams sold for $ 1.02M a highly rare notebook, lot 1. The scientific thoughts by Turing, written after 1942, are laid at the start and end of the book, while the intermediate pages were used for personal notes by his eminent student Robin Gandy after the ignominious death of Turing (who was pardoned posthumously in 2013 by Queen Elizabeth II).
Both autographs by Turing are unpublished developments. They bring a new vision on the thinking process of one of the most profound scientists of our time, who found through a method of enforcing simplifications the solutions of problems that his illustrious predecessors had just managed to define.
The first of them is a review of Peano's axioms concerning the completeness and consistency of mathematics. After Hilbert, Turing also addresses the third problem of Peano on decidability, meaning the possibility of establishing an algorithm to decide whether a mathematical proposition is true or false. This text is anticipating his involvement with Enigma but certainly helps to understand the thinking process that enabled the deciphering.
The second scientific text of the book is a study of the role of the mathematical notation. Turing appreciated that a complex formulation makes it more difficult to find the solution. His approach is based on the search for a universal language of mathematics by Leibniz. Such researches make him a precursor of computer programming.
He was a visionary in artificial intelligence at the time when the first modern computers were developed around John von Neumann. During the war, working on the logic of algorithms, he broke the encryption of German Enigma machines previously considered as inviolable.
On April 13, 2015, Bonhams sold for $ 1.02M a highly rare notebook, lot 1. The scientific thoughts by Turing, written after 1942, are laid at the start and end of the book, while the intermediate pages were used for personal notes by his eminent student Robin Gandy after the ignominious death of Turing (who was pardoned posthumously in 2013 by Queen Elizabeth II).
Both autographs by Turing are unpublished developments. They bring a new vision on the thinking process of one of the most profound scientists of our time, who found through a method of enforcing simplifications the solutions of problems that his illustrious predecessors had just managed to define.
The first of them is a review of Peano's axioms concerning the completeness and consistency of mathematics. After Hilbert, Turing also addresses the third problem of Peano on decidability, meaning the possibility of establishing an algorithm to decide whether a mathematical proposition is true or false. This text is anticipating his involvement with Enigma but certainly helps to understand the thinking process that enabled the deciphering.
The second scientific text of the book is a study of the role of the mathematical notation. Turing appreciated that a complex formulation makes it more difficult to find the solution. His approach is based on the search for a universal language of mathematics by Leibniz. Such researches make him a precursor of computer programming.
1942 Enigma M4
2019 SOLD for $ 800K by Sotheby's
The wireless telegraphy using Morse code is an elegant solution to transmit information, especially in war time, but its security is questionable. In 1926 the Germans discovered with dismay that at the end of the first world war the British intercepted and read easily their most secret messages.
The solution existed in their own country. In 1918 an engineer working in Berlin invented an enciphering machine in a high level of complexity. By its process of changing throughout the connected network the settings applicable both in transmission and in reception, messages must be inviolable.
The extreme subtlety of Enigma lies in the fact that the coding of a letter changes continuously by the action of the rotors according to an algorithm that applies to all machines. The basic plugboard wiring and the initial position of the rotors are renewed very frequently, even daily on the most secret networks, by instructions transmitted to the operators.
When hitting a key, the electrical signal is transmitted through the three rotors to another component named the reflector and passes back through the rotors to light a small bulb which reveals the reading value of the letter. The German military developed additional complications such as the interchangeable rotors or the movable reflector.
The control of the Atlantic is a key for winning the war. What could not be avoided happened : in 1941, a U-Boot was captured with its Enigmas. The concerned Kriegsmarine ordered a further complexity of the Enigma. The M4 distributed from May 1941 to February 1942 have their three automatic rotors plus a fourth narrower rotor set by hand across 26 positions. Most of them were destroyed in the sinking of their submarines in the Atlantic war.
An M4 made in 1942 was sold for $ 800K from a lower estimate of $ 300K by Sotheby's on December 17, 2019, lot 37. This example had been seized from the naval base at Trondheim in 1945 during the German surrender. It is complete and fully operational but not in matching numbers according to the usual practice of the operators to swap the rotors. It is housed in its original oak case.
An M4 was sold for $ 460K by Bonhams on December 7, 2016, lot 1088. and for $ 720K by Christie's on September 10, 2024, lot 14 from the collection of Paul G. Allen. It is fully operational and in matching numbers. It is dated November 1941 by Christie's. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
An M4 in full matching numbers was sold for $ 365K by Bonhams on October 21, 2015, lot 285. Another M4 made in 1944 was sold for $ 435K by Sotheby's on December 12, 2017, lot 67.
The solution existed in their own country. In 1918 an engineer working in Berlin invented an enciphering machine in a high level of complexity. By its process of changing throughout the connected network the settings applicable both in transmission and in reception, messages must be inviolable.
The extreme subtlety of Enigma lies in the fact that the coding of a letter changes continuously by the action of the rotors according to an algorithm that applies to all machines. The basic plugboard wiring and the initial position of the rotors are renewed very frequently, even daily on the most secret networks, by instructions transmitted to the operators.
When hitting a key, the electrical signal is transmitted through the three rotors to another component named the reflector and passes back through the rotors to light a small bulb which reveals the reading value of the letter. The German military developed additional complications such as the interchangeable rotors or the movable reflector.
The control of the Atlantic is a key for winning the war. What could not be avoided happened : in 1941, a U-Boot was captured with its Enigmas. The concerned Kriegsmarine ordered a further complexity of the Enigma. The M4 distributed from May 1941 to February 1942 have their three automatic rotors plus a fourth narrower rotor set by hand across 26 positions. Most of them were destroyed in the sinking of their submarines in the Atlantic war.
An M4 made in 1942 was sold for $ 800K from a lower estimate of $ 300K by Sotheby's on December 17, 2019, lot 37. This example had been seized from the naval base at Trondheim in 1945 during the German surrender. It is complete and fully operational but not in matching numbers according to the usual practice of the operators to swap the rotors. It is housed in its original oak case.
An M4 was sold for $ 460K by Bonhams on December 7, 2016, lot 1088. and for $ 720K by Christie's on September 10, 2024, lot 14 from the collection of Paul G. Allen. It is fully operational and in matching numbers. It is dated November 1941 by Christie's. Please watch the video shared by Christie's.
An M4 in full matching numbers was sold for $ 365K by Bonhams on October 21, 2015, lot 285. Another M4 made in 1944 was sold for $ 435K by Sotheby's on December 12, 2017, lot 67.
1976 Apple-1
1
Apple Founding Contracts
2011 SOLD for $ 1.6M by Sotheby's
The steps of the great technological revolution of the communication have been gradual and fast : after the discovery of the radio waves in the 19th century, the early events are the invention of the transistor in 1948, the integrated circuit in 1958. The breakthrough was achieved in 1969 with the development of the Intel 4004, the first microprocessor and also the first marvel of miniaturization because it already had a computing power comparable to machines that occupied an entire building.
Fans use their soldering iron to test the new wonders. Clubs and shops are created.
The home computer aka personal computer would be the next technological craze in California. In June 1975 Steve Wozniak tests his first working prototype. He makes a buzz with it in a group of computing hobbyists at Palo Alto.
The concept is viable and some production can be scheduled. Around a motherboard, other equipment can be connected to enable the use, such as a keyboard and a monitor. Wozniak completes the design of the Apple-1 on March 1, 1976, having prepared alone the hardware, the circuit boards and the operating system. He is disappointed : Hewlett Packard is not interested. Steve Jobs convinces him to start a business of their own.
The would be entrepreneurs are 25 and 21 years old. The role of the senior partner is played by Ronald Wayne, a 41 years old enthusiast of engineering. The team of three creates the Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, with 45 % of the shares to both Wozniak and Jobs and the remaining 10 % to Wayne.
The Apple-1 model is released on April 11. Its first retailer will be the Byte Shop, a specialized chain created a few months earlier by Paul Terrell. After harsh negotiations, Terrell rejects an idea of Jobs to sell modules : he will only accept 50 fully operational computers.
In the mean time Wayne appreciates that the new company can be successful but he is not a businessman and will not take a risk. He withdraws from the Apple company on April 12. The Apple-1 is available from July 1976 at the Byte Shop for the unit price of $ 666.66 defined by Wozniak.
A set made of three Apple founding documents previously owned by Wayne was sold by Sotheby's on December 13, 2011 for $ 1.6M from a lower estimate of $ 100K, lot 241. It is made of the April 1 contract signed by the three partners, a later amendment and the Registrant's copy of County of Santa Clara Statement of Withdrawal signed by Wayne.
Fans use their soldering iron to test the new wonders. Clubs and shops are created.
The home computer aka personal computer would be the next technological craze in California. In June 1975 Steve Wozniak tests his first working prototype. He makes a buzz with it in a group of computing hobbyists at Palo Alto.
The concept is viable and some production can be scheduled. Around a motherboard, other equipment can be connected to enable the use, such as a keyboard and a monitor. Wozniak completes the design of the Apple-1 on March 1, 1976, having prepared alone the hardware, the circuit boards and the operating system. He is disappointed : Hewlett Packard is not interested. Steve Jobs convinces him to start a business of their own.
The would be entrepreneurs are 25 and 21 years old. The role of the senior partner is played by Ronald Wayne, a 41 years old enthusiast of engineering. The team of three creates the Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, with 45 % of the shares to both Wozniak and Jobs and the remaining 10 % to Wayne.
The Apple-1 model is released on April 11. Its first retailer will be the Byte Shop, a specialized chain created a few months earlier by Paul Terrell. After harsh negotiations, Terrell rejects an idea of Jobs to sell modules : he will only accept 50 fully operational computers.
In the mean time Wayne appreciates that the new company can be successful but he is not a businessman and will not take a risk. He withdraws from the Apple company on April 12. The Apple-1 is available from July 1976 at the Byte Shop for the unit price of $ 666.66 defined by Wozniak.
A set made of three Apple founding documents previously owned by Wayne was sold by Sotheby's on December 13, 2011 for $ 1.6M from a lower estimate of $ 100K, lot 241. It is made of the April 1 contract signed by the three partners, a later amendment and the Registrant's copy of County of Santa Clara Statement of Withdrawal signed by Wayne.
2
pre-production
2016 SOLD for $ 815K by CharityBuzz with no identified buyer's premium
Paul Terrell, who had just founded the specialty retail store Byte Shop in Mountain View, is also a visionary. He will not accept a do it yourself kit. In a hurry a motherboard referred as the Apple Computer A prototype is assembled to be used as a demonstrator for Terrell. Some bubbles in solder joints assess that it has been prepared with Wozniak's unconventional technique of holding the solder coil from his mouth.
That piece was kept by Apple without coating for a purpose of cannibalizing the electronic parts, many of them including the microprocessor being now missing. The broken upper side is also missing. Recently resurfaced and authenticated in 2022 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, it was sold for $ 680K by RR on August 18, 2022, lot 5006.
A prototype is preceding a production. The Apple-1, in 1976, did not waive this universal law of the equipment industry. To fulfill the Byte Shop order of 50 units, they had to act quickly and there was no place left in that phase to realize disparities in product assembly and component selection.
This key step does not prevent to continue later to try new solutions. An Apple-1 that just surfaced has however some features that undoubtedly anticipate the production. The most obvious is the heat sink which is too small. Wozniak and Jobs were not thermal engineers and it is only through powering prototypes and not by calculations that they could appreciate that this element was undersized.
This motherboard was nevertheless used and Apple joined the same accessories and documents as on regular models : interface cassette, BASIC tape, user manuals, warranty.
The Apple Computer cassette bears a handwritten inscription identifying the reentry code after reset and the words "Good luck !!". A friend of Jobs who became one of Apple's first permanent employees is recognizing his handwriting. It appears plausible that this specimen has been assembled either by him or by Jobs during the early development phase and sold by him after about one year.
This Apple-1 was sold for $ 815K with no identified buyer's premium by CharityBuzz on August 25, 2016. It is not working. It would probably be easy to reactivate it by changing some electronic parts but its historical value rather invites to leave it in its original condition.
Please watch the video shared by CharityBuzz.
That piece was kept by Apple without coating for a purpose of cannibalizing the electronic parts, many of them including the microprocessor being now missing. The broken upper side is also missing. Recently resurfaced and authenticated in 2022 by Apple-1 expert Corey Cohen, it was sold for $ 680K by RR on August 18, 2022, lot 5006.
A prototype is preceding a production. The Apple-1, in 1976, did not waive this universal law of the equipment industry. To fulfill the Byte Shop order of 50 units, they had to act quickly and there was no place left in that phase to realize disparities in product assembly and component selection.
This key step does not prevent to continue later to try new solutions. An Apple-1 that just surfaced has however some features that undoubtedly anticipate the production. The most obvious is the heat sink which is too small. Wozniak and Jobs were not thermal engineers and it is only through powering prototypes and not by calculations that they could appreciate that this element was undersized.
This motherboard was nevertheless used and Apple joined the same accessories and documents as on regular models : interface cassette, BASIC tape, user manuals, warranty.
The Apple Computer cassette bears a handwritten inscription identifying the reentry code after reset and the words "Good luck !!". A friend of Jobs who became one of Apple's first permanent employees is recognizing his handwriting. It appears plausible that this specimen has been assembled either by him or by Jobs during the early development phase and sold by him after about one year.
This Apple-1 was sold for $ 815K with no identified buyer's premium by CharityBuzz on August 25, 2016. It is not working. It would probably be easy to reactivate it by changing some electronic parts but its historical value rather invites to leave it in its original condition.
Please watch the video shared by CharityBuzz.
3
ex Byte Shop
2014 SOLD for $ 900K by Bonhams
The Apple Computer 1 aka Apple-1, created in 1976, was the first personal computer ready to use, which means that the components were assembled on the printed circuit before the sale. The user had however to connect by himself this card to a keyboard, to a monitor and to a tape injecting a program in BASIC language.
The rapid sequence of events that led in 1976 to the production by Jobs and Wozniak of the Apple-1 has become legendary. After the helpful meeting by Wozniak with the electronics enthusiasts of the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, the two Steves design their machine.
We also know the condition set by Paul Terrell who had just founded his specialist Byte Shop retail operation : he agrees to take 50 motherboards at $ 500 each on the condition that the manufacturing time is less than thirty days. The two Steves mobilize their relatives to meet this requirement in their apartments and garages, without having time to arrange a workshop. In July, the Apple 1 was available for $ 666.66, a figure chosen by Wozniak to bring good luck.
The serial numbers from 01-0011 to 01-0070 were not assigned by Apple and do not fully match with the units sold by Byte Shop. Yet they remain a good indicator of the very first production, before a change of source of the PCB.
These examples of the first personal computer obviously appeal to the museums, provided they are in working condition.
One of the 50 units supplied to Byte Shop was sold for $ 900K by Bonhams on October 22, 2014, lot 286. The motherboard is accompanied by its original Apple-1 cassette interface and is still functioning without having undergone repairs. It was acquired by the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.
The rapid sequence of events that led in 1976 to the production by Jobs and Wozniak of the Apple-1 has become legendary. After the helpful meeting by Wozniak with the electronics enthusiasts of the Homebrew Computer Club in Palo Alto, the two Steves design their machine.
We also know the condition set by Paul Terrell who had just founded his specialist Byte Shop retail operation : he agrees to take 50 motherboards at $ 500 each on the condition that the manufacturing time is less than thirty days. The two Steves mobilize their relatives to meet this requirement in their apartments and garages, without having time to arrange a workshop. In July, the Apple 1 was available for $ 666.66, a figure chosen by Wozniak to bring good luck.
The serial numbers from 01-0011 to 01-0070 were not assigned by Apple and do not fully match with the units sold by Byte Shop. Yet they remain a good indicator of the very first production, before a change of source of the PCB.
These examples of the first personal computer obviously appeal to the museums, provided they are in working condition.
One of the 50 units supplied to Byte Shop was sold for $ 900K by Bonhams on October 22, 2014, lot 286. The motherboard is accompanied by its original Apple-1 cassette interface and is still functioning without having undergone repairs. It was acquired by the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.
4
ex Jobs and Allen
2024 SOLD for $ 945K by Christie's
Approximately 200 Apple-1 were built. One of them had been kept by Jobs as a demonstration model. It had been fitted with a 4K EPROM bypassing the original PROM monitor for being used as a demonstration unit and had possibly a role in the development of the Apple-II.
Removed from Apple in 1985 after Jobs left the company, it was acquired ca 2005 by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen.
Mounted in a metal casing with a keyboard and a monitor, it was sold for $ 945K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Christie's on September 10, 2024, lot 10 in the sale of the Allen collection.
Response by Grok to an ArtHitParade X post :
Targeting the Top 10 of #Computing https://arthitparade.net/computing.html
Removed from Apple in 1985 after Jobs left the company, it was acquired ca 2005 by Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen.
Mounted in a metal casing with a keyboard and a monitor, it was sold for $ 945K from a lower estimate of $ 500K by Christie's on September 10, 2024, lot 10 in the sale of the Allen collection.
Response by Grok to an ArtHitParade X post :
Targeting the Top 10 of #Computing https://arthitparade.net/computing.html
- The Apple-1 computer, highlighted in the post, was a groundbreaking 1976 invention by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs, featuring a pre-assembled motherboard and video display capability, which set it apart from contemporaries and catalyzed the home computing revolution, with only about 200 units ever produced.
- This specific Apple-1, removed from Steve Jobs' office in 1985 by engineer Don Hutmacher after Jobs' dismissal, is a rare demo unit with a unique EPROM modification, making it a prototype for the Apple II and one of fewer than 100 surviving units, now auctioned from Paul G. Allen’s collection by Christie’s in 2024.
- Historical context reveals Jobs and Wozniak funded the Apple-1’s development by selling personal items, like a VW van and calculator, and its original $666.66 price tag—chosen for its simplicity—reflected their innovative yet pragmatic approach, challenging the norm of expensive, unassembled computer kits.
1976-1978 Cray-1 Supercomputer
2024 SOLD for $ 1.02M by Christie's
Cray Research Inc was created in 1972 by the pioneer computer developer Seymour Cray. The product line was in Wisconsin and the headquarters in Minnesota.
Their first product, the monumental Cray-1 announced in 1975, was the fastest supercomputer of its time with a power capability of 80 M floating point operations per second.
Its C-Shape was conceived to reduce the wire links and increase the speed. It is built around a 64-bit processor clocked at 83 MHz, with 8 MB of RAM and cooled with freon. The 1.90 m machine is surrounded by a cushioned seating 287 cm in diameter.
Kept by the factory whatever the reason, the serial number 12 was transferred in 1981 to the University of Minnesota and repainted in the red and yellow of that institute. It was later acquired by Paul G. Allen.
Nr 12 was sold for $ 1.02M from a lower estimate of $ 150K by Christie's on September 10, 2024, lot 32.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Smith Greenfield @SmithGreenfield Sep 12, 2024
A Cray-1 Supercomputer owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen set a new high for any computer sold at auction when it took $810,000 (£618,320) at Christie’s New York. #PaulAllen #Christies #Auction #BespokeInsurance via @ATG_Editorial https://antiquestradegazette.com/news/2024/auction-record-for-any-computer-as-paul-allen-s-cray-1-sells-at-christie-s/…
Their first product, the monumental Cray-1 announced in 1975, was the fastest supercomputer of its time with a power capability of 80 M floating point operations per second.
Its C-Shape was conceived to reduce the wire links and increase the speed. It is built around a 64-bit processor clocked at 83 MHz, with 8 MB of RAM and cooled with freon. The 1.90 m machine is surrounded by a cushioned seating 287 cm in diameter.
Kept by the factory whatever the reason, the serial number 12 was transferred in 1981 to the University of Minnesota and repainted in the red and yellow of that institute. It was later acquired by Paul G. Allen.
Nr 12 was sold for $ 1.02M from a lower estimate of $ 150K by Christie's on September 10, 2024, lot 32.
Response by Grok :
Quote
Smith Greenfield @SmithGreenfield Sep 12, 2024
A Cray-1 Supercomputer owned by the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen set a new high for any computer sold at auction when it took $810,000 (£618,320) at Christie’s New York. #PaulAllen #Christies #Auction #BespokeInsurance via @ATG_Editorial https://antiquestradegazette.com/news/2024/auction-record-for-any-computer-as-paul-allen-s-cray-1-sells-at-christie-s/…
- The Cray-1 Supercomputer, sold for $810,000 at Christie’s New York, was a groundbreaking 1970s machine designed by Seymour Cray, originally costing $8 million, with its auction price reflecting its rarity and historical significance as a symbol of early computing innovation.
- Paul Allen’s ownership of the Cray-1 ties to his legacy as a Microsoft co-founder and tech philanthropist, with his estate’s recent $3.1 billion Fund for Science and Technology (launched August 2025) continuing to fund cutting-edge research, including AI and bioscience.
1990-1991 and 2021 NFT www Source Code by Berners-Lee
2021 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Sotheby's
Tim Berners-Lee was born in London to a family of computer scientists. Trained as a physicist and experienced in software, he is hired in 1984 at the CERN, the European research organization in particle physics, based near Geneva, which was a leading user of the Internet in its infancy.
Providing the CERN staff worldwide with an easy access to scientific information would be highly beneficial to their research. In parallel to his professional duties, Berners-Lee conceives in 1989 to join hyper-text to the Internet. He is authorized by his boss to develop this project. His system is complete with all necessary protocols and languages for the texts and their remote access (HTTP, HTML, URL).
It works. This mesh of informations looks like an infinite spider web. Berners-Lee designates in 1990 his HTML browser as the WorldWideWeb. The web software is offered by the CERN to the public domain on April 30, 1993. 'Sir Tim' was knighted in 2004.
Our global computer based civilization was born with Berners-Lee's web. A promising recent development is the NFT, the first protocol able to offer a guarantee of authenticity to a digital file, whatever it is, including artistic and historical.
On June 15, 2021 Sir Tim minted an NFT-supported digital file gathering elements of his invention from the key period 1990-1991. It edits in totality the original 9,555 line source code of the World Wide Web and the user guide in HTML. Sir Tim added a graphic and a video representations of the code and a 2021 letter reflecting about his creation process for that invention.
The Berners-Lee 1/1 file of the www source code was sold for $ 5.4M by Sotheby's on June 30, 2021, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
Providing the CERN staff worldwide with an easy access to scientific information would be highly beneficial to their research. In parallel to his professional duties, Berners-Lee conceives in 1989 to join hyper-text to the Internet. He is authorized by his boss to develop this project. His system is complete with all necessary protocols and languages for the texts and their remote access (HTTP, HTML, URL).
It works. This mesh of informations looks like an infinite spider web. Berners-Lee designates in 1990 his HTML browser as the WorldWideWeb. The web software is offered by the CERN to the public domain on April 30, 1993. 'Sir Tim' was knighted in 2004.
Our global computer based civilization was born with Berners-Lee's web. A promising recent development is the NFT, the first protocol able to offer a guarantee of authenticity to a digital file, whatever it is, including artistic and historical.
On June 15, 2021 Sir Tim minted an NFT-supported digital file gathering elements of his invention from the key period 1990-1991. It edits in totality the original 9,555 line source code of the World Wide Web and the user guide in HTML. Sir Tim added a graphic and a video representations of the code and a 2021 letter reflecting about his creation process for that invention.
The Berners-Lee 1/1 file of the www source code was sold for $ 5.4M by Sotheby's on June 30, 2021, lot 1. Please watch the video shared by Sotheby's.
