Two pieces of early Apple memorabilia have sold for twice their estimated price. Sotheby's auctioned off one of the last remaining Apple I motherboards, which were sold in 1976 for $666.66, for $374,500; it was originally estimated to net up to $180,000. The motherboard came with an original Apple I manual, a programming guide, and a cassette interface sold as a $75 accessory. Only 200 of the computers were ever made, and Sotheby's says that this motherboard one of six that still works among the 50 now known to exist. A non-working one sold for around $200,000 in 2010, but interest in Apple has grown along with the company and after the passing of Steve Jobs.
Likewise, a four-page memo written by Jobs sold for $27,500, almost twice the expected $15,000. The papers detailed how Jobs' supervisor Stephen Bristow could improve Atari's World Cup Football. Sotheby's said that at least three people bid on the memo, and the motherboard's sale escalated into a bidding war between two parties. Neither buyer has been revealed.
Thanks Speedbird!