Apple I goes for twice the price of an Enigma
Turing papers still going begging
An Apple I sold yesterday for £133,250 while a three-rotor Enigma box went for £67,250.
Woz: "Apple I was an important
step but I didn't realise it at the time."
The Apple I, number 82, came in its original box and was "in remarkably fresh condition".
It was bought by an Italian fanboi to add to his collection. He told reporters the machine would be restored and displayed.
Originally priced at $666.66, it was one of only 200 machines made by Steve Wozniak. Although the buyer was expected to do some assembly, no soldering was required.
Wozniak was at the auction and said the machine was an important step, although he didn't realise it at the time. The boxes were made and dispatched from Steve Jobs' parents garage.
Also up for sale was an Enigma cipher machine from around 1939, which came complete with a modern power supply and has had some restoration. It was expected to sell for between £30,000 and £50,000, but bidding topped out at £67,250.
Most of the lots at the Christie's auction were rare manuscripts - including an almost complete collection of the Alan Turing papers, which was bid up to £240,000 but failed to meet the reserve price.
The Bletchley Park Trust, which hoped to buy the set, said it was pleased with the level of support seen for the campaign and Google's pledge of $100,000 towards the papers' possible purchase.
The Trust said it hoped the campaign would continue to gain momentum because the papers belong at Bletchley Park. ®
COMMENTS
apple sell a computer for £130K?
wow - when did they reduce their prices?
@whats the point of kenny lynch?
>>"apple sell a computer for £130K?"
Or, if you're in the USA, $130k.
Oh jeebers....
Although I am an enthusiastic Iphone/Ipad/Mac etc user, I am sadly not surprised that the vapid Apple 1 went for more than the Enigma or the Turing papers, it's kinda the sign of the times and our culture's current love of style vs substance...
*sarcasm on* Who cares if Alan Turing and his fellow Brits helped reduce the length of WW2 due to their excellent work on breaking the Enigma code? It's SO much more important to buy an outdated computer created by a corporation that is currently being helmed by a charismatic narcissistic megalomaniac!
*sarcasm off*
*ahem*...
(Paris Hilton because she IS the queen of vapid...)
@ DAM
Alternatively, you could increase the value of the items by getting Hollywood to make a film about how all these items were made in America, then stolen by the British, before heroically being 'saved' by the brave boys in the US Military (or just one if Bruce Willis is available).
Oh... hang on..
It's all about context
The Apple I founded a hugely successful company and was made in very limited numbers. There's a huge demand for this sort of item which can be directly linked to two named people.
Tens of thousands of Enigmas were made for commercial, government and military use on a factory production line. There are no names associated with the mass manufactured machines and unless it came from a particular individual or location it, in itself isn't very significant. The market isn't short of Enigmas - lots survived.
The Enigma itself is only part of the story - after all Turing's breakthroughs were all made without actually having the machine in question. Had a Bombe survived and come up for auction then it would justify a fantastic valuation as would one of the rare as hens' teeth four-rotor Naval Enigmas.
But if anyone wants to give me an Enigma for Christmas, yeah I won't be disappointed.
