The Apple-1, the first personal computer kit released by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne under Apple Computer Co. in 1976, was the beginning of a storied ascent for a company that rode the technological revolution into the homes of people around the world as it went on to be one of the most publicly traded companies in American history. It took a measly 41 years for Apple to make its mark on our world with a legacy that will outlive itself. So it begs the question: will tech collecting emerge as a heavy hitter in the Twenty-First Century? Will younger generations find nostalgia and interest in early, low-edition computers and electronics? Consider this: since 2010, complete versions of the Apple-1 have sold at auction for $639,428, $671,400, $332,000, $905,000, $365,000, $171,802 and $365,000. Hold onto those iPod’s, kids, they may be destined to be propped up on small stands underneath Plexiglas cubes in 100 years. An Apple-1 joins other antiques from auction houses around the world in this week’s picks.
AUCTION TEAM BREKER
Sale Date: May 20
Lot 35
Original Apple-1 Computer, 1976
Only 200 examples of the Apple-1 were ever produced and, of these, only a handful are known to have survived in operating condition. This is an iconic example of Apple’s first product, with provenance from the original owner and an archive of historic documents. Serial no. 01-0073, matte-green Apple-1 motherboard with gold-plated white ceramic 6502 microprocessor produced in week 15/1976; 6820 ceramic Peripheral Interface Adapter (PIA); full set of time-period-correct chips date-marked 1975–1976; time-period-correct capacitors; original cassette interface card for loading Apple-1 BASIC programming language; custom-written modern BASIC software demo program cassette with “Apple 30th Anniversary Graphics Demo”; keyboard; Sanyo VM-4209 9-inch monitor; power supply and time-period-correct cassette player.
Estimate: $195/325,000
DOYLE
Sale Date: May 10-11
Lot 84
Guy Pene du Bois (American, 1884–1958) Painting
“Protectrice,” 1921, signed Guy Pene du Bois and dated 1921 (lower right); oil on panel, 25 by 20 inches.
Estimate: $100/200,000
MICHAAN’S
Sale Date: May 13
Pocket Snuff Box
Enamel, diamond, sapphire, 18K yellow gold.
Estimate: $4/6,000
SWANN
Sale Date: May 11
Lot 247
David Hockney, “The Artist and Model”
Etching, 1974, 29½ by 22 inches, full margins. Signed, dated and numbered 81/100 in pencil, lower margin. Printed by Crommelynk, Paris, with the blind stamp lower left. Published by Petersburg Press, London.
Estimate: $20/30,000
MILLEA BROS
Sale Date: May 11-13
Lot 3294
Pair Tiffany Studios (Attributed) Bronze Wall Sconces
Circa 1910, American, attributed to L.C. Tiffany, bronze-framed Favrile glass tile chainmail shade suspended over patinated bronze fittings, unsigned, approximately 13 by 10 by 9 inches.
Estimate: $5/7,000
GARTH’S
Sale Date: May 12
Lot 214
Signed Scrimshaw Whale Tooth
Nineteenth Century, rare tooth signed “W.L. Roderick.” Detailed whale hunt with two sailing ships and rowboats, 7¾ inches in length. William Lewis Roderick was a crew member on the English bark Adventure in 1852.
Estimate: $15/25,000
ÉRIC PILLON ENCHÈRES
Sale Date: May 14
Lot 12
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux (French, 1827-1875)
“Buste Du Prince Imperial,” 1865, plaster, signed and unique, 26 inches high.
Estimate: $65/87,000
HERITAGE
Sale Date: May 13
Lot 43271
Virgil Earp: His Iconic Tombstone Badge
Few Tombstone artifacts could be more evocative than this scroll badge, undoubtedly worn at the Gunfight at O.K. Corral. Virgil Earp’s official title at the time was “Chief of Police” for the town, and this is engraved on a stippled background. His brother Wyatt Earp wore a similar-shaped badge as a Dodge City lawman. Its whereabouts are today unknown, but the unmistakable form is clearly visible on his white shirt in a famous Dodge City photo showing Wyatt with Bat Masterson.
Reserve: $50,000
ELDRED’S
Sale Date: May 18
Lot 94
Wooden Trade Sign — The Fishmonger Cafe
With gold lettering and images of fish on a black ground, Twentieth Century, 35½ by 47½ inches.
Estimate: $200/400