techniques
1020 An Astrolabe made in Cordoba
2017 SOLD for £ 610K including premium
The map of the respective positions of the stars is immutable although the absolute position varies with latitude, altitude and time. The position of the sun also meets strict rules. The astrolabe is an instrument of very high complexity which allows to correlate all these variables in measurements of great accuracy.
The astrolabe was described for the first time around 550 in Alexandria but its improvement is essentially the work of the Muslim astronomers. In the tenth century of our calendar an enthusiastic theorist listed about 1000 different uses of this truly universal instrument, in the etymological meaning of 'universal'.
The use of the astrolabe extends of course to all the Muslim world as far as Spain, but the most advanced theoretical and practical treatises remain the work of the astronomers of the Middle East.
The ibn al-Saffar brothers worked in Cordoba at the beginning of the 5th century of the Hegira. Ahmed is a very important teacher whose writings will be used for four centuries. Muhammad makes the instruments.
Three astrolabes signed by Muhammad ibn al-Saffar are known. The earliest, dated 411AH corresponding to 1020/1021 in our calendar, is estimated £ 300K for sale by Sotheby's in London on April 26, lot 170. It is a big piece 19 cm overall including the suspension loop.
This astrolabe is complete but not entirely original, for a valid reason. Indeed the rete which simulates the map of the sky becomes obsolete after a few decades due to the precession of the equinoxes. The ancient users were aware of this phenomenon and the rete of this instrument was changed in Ottoman Turkey. The position of one of its star pointers suggests a date around 1550 of our calendar for this replacement part.
The mater is the rear side of the instrument. This one is set to the 66° latitude corresponding to the longest day time known by the astronomers in the Antiquity. Six original double-sided removable plates are joined with the indication of latitudes and cities, inviting for a fabulous journey into the medieval Muslim world. From South to North : Yemen, Mecca, Medina, Cairo, Qairawan, Damascus, Malaga, Cordoba, Toledo, Zaragoza.
The link in Sotheby's tweet below leads to photos of this instrument after disassembly to explain the mater, the loop, the plates, the alidade or sight rule and the rede.
The astrolabe was described for the first time around 550 in Alexandria but its improvement is essentially the work of the Muslim astronomers. In the tenth century of our calendar an enthusiastic theorist listed about 1000 different uses of this truly universal instrument, in the etymological meaning of 'universal'.
The use of the astrolabe extends of course to all the Muslim world as far as Spain, but the most advanced theoretical and practical treatises remain the work of the astronomers of the Middle East.
The ibn al-Saffar brothers worked in Cordoba at the beginning of the 5th century of the Hegira. Ahmed is a very important teacher whose writings will be used for four centuries. Muhammad makes the instruments.
Three astrolabes signed by Muhammad ibn al-Saffar are known. The earliest, dated 411AH corresponding to 1020/1021 in our calendar, is estimated £ 300K for sale by Sotheby's in London on April 26, lot 170. It is a big piece 19 cm overall including the suspension loop.
This astrolabe is complete but not entirely original, for a valid reason. Indeed the rete which simulates the map of the sky becomes obsolete after a few decades due to the precession of the equinoxes. The ancient users were aware of this phenomenon and the rete of this instrument was changed in Ottoman Turkey. The position of one of its star pointers suggests a date around 1550 of our calendar for this replacement part.
The mater is the rear side of the instrument. This one is set to the 66° latitude corresponding to the longest day time known by the astronomers in the Antiquity. Six original double-sided removable plates are joined with the indication of latitudes and cities, inviting for a fabulous journey into the medieval Muslim world. From South to North : Yemen, Mecca, Medina, Cairo, Qairawan, Damascus, Malaga, Cordoba, Toledo, Zaragoza.
The link in Sotheby's tweet below leads to photos of this instrument after disassembly to explain the mater, the loop, the plates, the alidade or sight rule and the rede.
Anatomy of an Astrolabe:Unravel how this historic object from Muslim Spain allowed its beholder to gaze at the stars https://t.co/uT0QmHVZCM pic.twitter.com/Mk4qhH4VNH
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) March 28, 2017
1570 PRACTICAL ASTRONOMY BETWEEN COPERNICUS AND KEPLER
2008 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The astrolabe, an instrument developed by Islam, was used to know the time by measuring the position of the sun (during the day) or of a major star (at night) over the horizon. It is a disc graduated with a rotating arm. The reference lines carved on its plate are only valid for a fixed latitude.
The book of Copernicus, in 1543, gave scientists and travelers a taste for the calculations. A new instrument will then be developed, the astronomical compendium. Its main manufacturer was Christopher Schissler. His workshop was in Augsburg.
On 2 December 1999, Sotheby's sold 300 K$ costs included a compendium signed Schissler dated 1556. It is a pocket "computer" 7.6 x 7.6cm x 1.6cm, octagonal, made of gilt brass. Do it! Despite its small size, it included: an astrolabe, a map indicating 120 cities of the Low Countries focusing on Breda and Dordrecht, a sundial, the latitude of 35 cities, a chart to determine the time of sunrise and sunset depending on the latitude, and even a removable vane that the traveler could mount in the center of the plate.
On 11 November 2007, another compendium signed Schissler, undated but made around the same time as the previous one, was sold 620 K € excluding fees by Bayeux Enchères. This copy was of exceptionally large size: 12.2 x 12.2 x 1.8 cm. Octagonal also, it included in addition other accessories such as a compass, a nocturlabe and a lunar calendar.
The example coming on sale on Nov. 29 in Villefranche-sur-Saône by ERA is less prestigious than its two predecessors. Square shaped, it is not signed and it is assumed that it was made in Augsburg circa 1570. This one also is sold with its windvane! It can be seen on page 204 of La Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot of October 10 and provisionally on the auction ad site Interencheres.
We are far away from the major auction houses: there is no catalog number, no website, no published estimate, and I can not guarantee that I will ever find the result. But I was pleased to present this witness of the art of travel from another time.
To understand where this instrument was in the history of science, consider that still at that time observing the sky was only to the naked eyes. The telescope did not exist.
POST SALE COMMENT
This lot has not been sold. Its estimate was 50 K €.
The other lot that I noted in my weekly preview of Nov. 2 was an English astronomical telescope with eight tubes of the end of the seventeenth century. It was sold 30 K € excluding fees.
Do you speak French ?
Here is a video that announced this interesting sale.
Edited by Interencheres.tv
The astrolabe, an instrument developed by Islam, was used to know the time by measuring the position of the sun (during the day) or of a major star (at night) over the horizon. It is a disc graduated with a rotating arm. The reference lines carved on its plate are only valid for a fixed latitude.
The book of Copernicus, in 1543, gave scientists and travelers a taste for the calculations. A new instrument will then be developed, the astronomical compendium. Its main manufacturer was Christopher Schissler. His workshop was in Augsburg.
On 2 December 1999, Sotheby's sold 300 K$ costs included a compendium signed Schissler dated 1556. It is a pocket "computer" 7.6 x 7.6cm x 1.6cm, octagonal, made of gilt brass. Do it! Despite its small size, it included: an astrolabe, a map indicating 120 cities of the Low Countries focusing on Breda and Dordrecht, a sundial, the latitude of 35 cities, a chart to determine the time of sunrise and sunset depending on the latitude, and even a removable vane that the traveler could mount in the center of the plate.
On 11 November 2007, another compendium signed Schissler, undated but made around the same time as the previous one, was sold 620 K € excluding fees by Bayeux Enchères. This copy was of exceptionally large size: 12.2 x 12.2 x 1.8 cm. Octagonal also, it included in addition other accessories such as a compass, a nocturlabe and a lunar calendar.
The example coming on sale on Nov. 29 in Villefranche-sur-Saône by ERA is less prestigious than its two predecessors. Square shaped, it is not signed and it is assumed that it was made in Augsburg circa 1570. This one also is sold with its windvane! It can be seen on page 204 of La Gazette de l'Hôtel Drouot of October 10 and provisionally on the auction ad site Interencheres.
We are far away from the major auction houses: there is no catalog number, no website, no published estimate, and I can not guarantee that I will ever find the result. But I was pleased to present this witness of the art of travel from another time.
To understand where this instrument was in the history of science, consider that still at that time observing the sky was only to the naked eyes. The telescope did not exist.
POST SALE COMMENT
This lot has not been sold. Its estimate was 50 K €.
The other lot that I noted in my weekly preview of Nov. 2 was an English astronomical telescope with eight tubes of the end of the seventeenth century. It was sold 30 K € excluding fees.
Do you speak French ?
Here is a video that announced this interesting sale.
Edited by Interencheres.tv
1690s the big secret of isaac newton
2018 sold for $ 275k including premium
The alchemists have always professed that all natural phenomena were linked. They wanted to understand everything, even including theology. Isaac Newton is the most important user of alchemy. His law of gravitation is a daring universal synthesis between matter and force.
Fortunately for modern science he understands that any physico-chemical demonstration must be based on the results of a reproducible experiment. A difficult personality, Newton does not accept that his work is disputed. Even if the alchemical principles are the basis of his discoveries, they still are mere conjectures : this scientific writer of great fertility has never published anything on alchemy.
With Newton the scientific rigor leaps forward. By accepting the hypothesis of the composition of the matter in particles bound by an interaction force, he opens the way to the chemistry of the elements while still considering that it is possible to transmute the materials into gold.
The alchemical library of Newton was hidden but considerable. What remained from it in his family surfaced in 1872. This unexpected information about the founder of modern science was incredible and shameful according to the theories of exact science. Until 1936, when the documents were auctioned at Sotheby's, Isaac Newton continued to keep his big secret.
One of the manuscripts of the 1936 auction comes now for sale by Bonhams in New York on March 9, lot 6 estimated $ 200K. It is not dated but the 1690s decade is plausible. This text has never been published.
In his tiny and tight handwriting, Newton records in Latin a physico-chemical process to obtain the philosopher's stone, including heating and cooling phases that can last over several months. A poor quality of the selected materials or of the fire can lead to failure.
The origin of this recipe remains a mystery. The file is titled by Newton "Opus Galli Anonymi" (work of an anonymous French). The text is the subject of many corrections and additions, meaning that if Newton really made an autograph translation of an earlier author, he also considered in details how to apply this instruction in the laboratory. No antecedent of this text has been identified and it can also be a window-dressing by Newton for a personal development, in the best tradition of the alchemical secrecy.
Fortunately for modern science he understands that any physico-chemical demonstration must be based on the results of a reproducible experiment. A difficult personality, Newton does not accept that his work is disputed. Even if the alchemical principles are the basis of his discoveries, they still are mere conjectures : this scientific writer of great fertility has never published anything on alchemy.
With Newton the scientific rigor leaps forward. By accepting the hypothesis of the composition of the matter in particles bound by an interaction force, he opens the way to the chemistry of the elements while still considering that it is possible to transmute the materials into gold.
The alchemical library of Newton was hidden but considerable. What remained from it in his family surfaced in 1872. This unexpected information about the founder of modern science was incredible and shameful according to the theories of exact science. Until 1936, when the documents were auctioned at Sotheby's, Isaac Newton continued to keep his big secret.
One of the manuscripts of the 1936 auction comes now for sale by Bonhams in New York on March 9, lot 6 estimated $ 200K. It is not dated but the 1690s decade is plausible. This text has never been published.
In his tiny and tight handwriting, Newton records in Latin a physico-chemical process to obtain the philosopher's stone, including heating and cooling phases that can last over several months. A poor quality of the selected materials or of the fire can lead to failure.
The origin of this recipe remains a mystery. The file is titled by Newton "Opus Galli Anonymi" (work of an anonymous French). The text is the subject of many corrections and additions, meaning that if Newton really made an autograph translation of an earlier author, he also considered in details how to apply this instruction in the laboratory. No antecedent of this text has been identified and it can also be a window-dressing by Newton for a personal development, in the best tradition of the alchemical secrecy.
On March 9, our NY #Books & Manuscripts auction will offer a rare autograph manuscript by Ludwig Van #Beethoven, along with an #IsaacNewton manuscript on the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone https://t.co/WOAW92tsbV pic.twitter.com/ZU6e7L6kmL
— Bonhams (@bonhams1793) February 14, 2018
1718 THE FAHRENHEIT SCALE
2012 SOLD 67 K£ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Instrument manufacturer and glass blower, Fahrenheit made a significant contribution to science.
He developed the modern thermometer shape in which the liquid rises in a very narrow cylinder above a curved tank.He found the most suitable liquid for the identification of the temperature with respect to its height above the tank:mercury.
He used the three calibrating thermal points of Rømer and redefined the numeral values with a wider range: 0 degreefor a freezing mixture of water and ammonium chloride, 32 degrees for the transformation of pure water into ice, and 96 degrees for the normal temperature of the human body.
Three centuries later, his scale is still used because an interval of one Fahrenheit degree is a temperature differencethat an observer can perceive. It may be a chance, because the real intention of the inventor was to separate the ice point and the body point by a power of 2.
Very few original instruments have survived. One of these thermometers is estimated £ 70K, for sale by Christie's in London on October 9. 11.5 cm high, it includes a scale from -4 to 132 degrees, with all the values in multiples of 4inscribed alternately on both sides of the tube for an easy reading, and a line at every second degree. Its mercury tubeis later.
This small brass piece is signed by Fahrenheit, but undated. It is close to a unit kept in the Museum Boerhaave in Leiden and dated 1718, at the time when the inventor was the most active in promoting his thermometers. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
£ 67K including premium for this ancestor of our common thermometers.
Instrument manufacturer and glass blower, Fahrenheit made a significant contribution to science.
He developed the modern thermometer shape in which the liquid rises in a very narrow cylinder above a curved tank.He found the most suitable liquid for the identification of the temperature with respect to its height above the tank:mercury.
He used the three calibrating thermal points of Rømer and redefined the numeral values with a wider range: 0 degreefor a freezing mixture of water and ammonium chloride, 32 degrees for the transformation of pure water into ice, and 96 degrees for the normal temperature of the human body.
Three centuries later, his scale is still used because an interval of one Fahrenheit degree is a temperature differencethat an observer can perceive. It may be a chance, because the real intention of the inventor was to separate the ice point and the body point by a power of 2.
Very few original instruments have survived. One of these thermometers is estimated £ 70K, for sale by Christie's in London on October 9. 11.5 cm high, it includes a scale from -4 to 132 degrees, with all the values in multiples of 4inscribed alternately on both sides of the tube for an easy reading, and a line at every second degree. Its mercury tubeis later.
This small brass piece is signed by Fahrenheit, but undated. It is close to a unit kept in the Museum Boerhaave in Leiden and dated 1718, at the time when the inventor was the most active in promoting his thermometers. Here is the link to the catalog.
POST SALE COMMENT
£ 67K including premium for this ancestor of our common thermometers.
1754 SHIP MODELS
2010 SOLD 75 K€ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Ship models were not toys. At the time when French and British navies vied for supremacy of the seas, the shipyards of both countries were building pieces at scales 1 / 12 to 1 / 48 that served as models for shipbuilders.
In France, this practice was started by a decree of Colbert in 1678. Under his leadership and for greater efficiency, warships experienced a true standardization. The models also had a role in engineering, assisting in the development of the architecture of carpentry and rigging.
The most successful model of the French navy was the vessel of 74 guns, a three-masted ship of which Augustin Pic signed a model now in the Musée de la Marine of Paris.
The same craftsman from Rochefort signed and dated in 1754 a model of a ship of 64 guns, for sale by Piasa in Belle-Ile-en-Mer on July 17. This interesting piece, 144 x 166 cm, shared in the catalog of the auction house, is in fair condition overall, but had suffered some damage and repairs which justify the reasonable estimate of 60 K €.
POST SALE COMMENT
The historical interest outweighed the minor damages, and the model met its exact estimate: 60 K € before fees, 75 K € including premium.
Ship models were not toys. At the time when French and British navies vied for supremacy of the seas, the shipyards of both countries were building pieces at scales 1 / 12 to 1 / 48 that served as models for shipbuilders.
In France, this practice was started by a decree of Colbert in 1678. Under his leadership and for greater efficiency, warships experienced a true standardization. The models also had a role in engineering, assisting in the development of the architecture of carpentry and rigging.
The most successful model of the French navy was the vessel of 74 guns, a three-masted ship of which Augustin Pic signed a model now in the Musée de la Marine of Paris.
The same craftsman from Rochefort signed and dated in 1754 a model of a ship of 64 guns, for sale by Piasa in Belle-Ile-en-Mer on July 17. This interesting piece, 144 x 166 cm, shared in the catalog of the auction house, is in fair condition overall, but had suffered some damage and repairs which justify the reasonable estimate of 60 K €.
POST SALE COMMENT
The historical interest outweighed the minor damages, and the model met its exact estimate: 60 K € before fees, 75 K € including premium.
1767 A VISIT TO THE OPTICIST
2012 SOLD 35 K€ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Europe witnessed during the eighteenth century the development of scientific curiosity. Skilled craftsmen in Englandand France then made optical instruments of all kinds to please a new clientele of scholars and connoisseurs.
In Paris, the best of them is Claude Langlois. By 1730 he got some orders from the Paris Observatory, and the quality of his precision instruments earned him a few years later an appointment by the Académie Royale des Sciences as an engineer in mathematical instruments.
His successor was Jacques Canivet, installed at the sign "la Sphère", an allusion to the three spheres of classicalastronomy: terrestrial, celestial and armillary.
On June 30 in Cannes, the auction house Cannes Enchères sells a refracting telescope made by Canivet, dated 1767 and bearing the number 1 (only meaning that it was the first instrument numbered by him for that year).
In very good condition, it is a brass telescope 162 cm long equipped with several viewers, this set being assembled on a 114 cm high mahogany base enabling a fine adjustment of the position.
It had been previously listed on February 25 by the same auctioneers. La Gazette Drouot had then properly announcedthe rarity of this piece, but the estimate was too high and it had not been sold. I had not discussed it in this column.Its new estimate, € 20 to 30K, is conservative.
This specialty craft was promised to a significant growth that could not be foreseen at the time of Langlois andCanivet. In the following century, opticists built the photographic cameras and the stereoscopic viewers.
POST SALE COMMENT
Presented this time with a reasonable estimate, the interesting piece was sold € 28K before fees.
Europe witnessed during the eighteenth century the development of scientific curiosity. Skilled craftsmen in Englandand France then made optical instruments of all kinds to please a new clientele of scholars and connoisseurs.
In Paris, the best of them is Claude Langlois. By 1730 he got some orders from the Paris Observatory, and the quality of his precision instruments earned him a few years later an appointment by the Académie Royale des Sciences as an engineer in mathematical instruments.
His successor was Jacques Canivet, installed at the sign "la Sphère", an allusion to the three spheres of classicalastronomy: terrestrial, celestial and armillary.
On June 30 in Cannes, the auction house Cannes Enchères sells a refracting telescope made by Canivet, dated 1767 and bearing the number 1 (only meaning that it was the first instrument numbered by him for that year).
In very good condition, it is a brass telescope 162 cm long equipped with several viewers, this set being assembled on a 114 cm high mahogany base enabling a fine adjustment of the position.
It had been previously listed on February 25 by the same auctioneers. La Gazette Drouot had then properly announcedthe rarity of this piece, but the estimate was too high and it had not been sold. I had not discussed it in this column.Its new estimate, € 20 to 30K, is conservative.
This specialty craft was promised to a significant growth that could not be foreseen at the time of Langlois andCanivet. In the following century, opticists built the photographic cameras and the stereoscopic viewers.
POST SALE COMMENT
Presented this time with a reasonable estimate, the interesting piece was sold € 28K before fees.
1775 A Surgeon on the Battlefield
2017 SOLD for $ 104K including premium
A collection unique in its kind of four surgical kits accompanied by a few documents had been announced in 2011 by a Massachusetts auction house. Here is the link to the press release shared by Auction Publicity. I discussed it at that time but the lot had been withdrawn before the sale.
Consisting of the same elements, the collection is estimated $ 50K to be sold online before an extension phase by phone by RR Auction on July 12, lot 1. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
The two main pieces are amputation kits used on the battlefields by John Warren during the American Revolutionary War. They are almost complete of their period instruments including a saw, a Petit tourniquet, forceps, knives, scissors and spare blades.
From a family tradition the shagreen-wrapped kit had been offered to John Warren by his elder brother Joseph. Joseph also became a general of the patriots. His death in 1775 at the Battle of Bunker Hill traumatized John who immediately embarked on an emergency surgery mission, directly attending the battles. The instruments of the lot for sale were intensively used during the campaigns of 1776 and 1777.
Gunshot wounds are deep and the survival of the soldier depends on the earliness of the rescue. Before the transfer to the hospital, the surgeon must stop the bleeding and amputate the limb on the spot to prevent the gangrene. The chances of success are all the lower as anesthesia and asepsis have not yet been conceived.
History retains Dr. John Warren as one of the founders of the Harvard Medical School of which he was the first professor of anatomy and surgery.
Three decades after that American War, Dominique Larrey, Chief Surgeon of Napoléon's Imperial Guard and then of his Grand Army, has the merit of making officially admitted the necessity of these emergency amputations which he himself practiced not without success with a stunning skill.
Consisting of the same elements, the collection is estimated $ 50K to be sold online before an extension phase by phone by RR Auction on July 12, lot 1. Here is the link to the website of the auction house.
The two main pieces are amputation kits used on the battlefields by John Warren during the American Revolutionary War. They are almost complete of their period instruments including a saw, a Petit tourniquet, forceps, knives, scissors and spare blades.
From a family tradition the shagreen-wrapped kit had been offered to John Warren by his elder brother Joseph. Joseph also became a general of the patriots. His death in 1775 at the Battle of Bunker Hill traumatized John who immediately embarked on an emergency surgery mission, directly attending the battles. The instruments of the lot for sale were intensively used during the campaigns of 1776 and 1777.
Gunshot wounds are deep and the survival of the soldier depends on the earliness of the rescue. Before the transfer to the hospital, the surgeon must stop the bleeding and amputate the limb on the spot to prevent the gangrene. The chances of success are all the lower as anesthesia and asepsis have not yet been conceived.
History retains Dr. John Warren as one of the founders of the Harvard Medical School of which he was the first professor of anatomy and surgery.
Three decades after that American War, Dominique Larrey, Chief Surgeon of Napoléon's Imperial Guard and then of his Grand Army, has the merit of making officially admitted the necessity of these emergency amputations which he himself practiced not without success with a stunning skill.
Dr. John Warren's Revolutionary War amputation kits are currently up for auction! #RevolutionaryWar https://t.co/apikLaIYQI pic.twitter.com/fBBWvnZOfs
— RR Auction (@RRAuction) June 29, 2017
1793 BLANCHARD AT THE CONQUEST OF SPACE
2009 SOLD 9.4 K$ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The conquest of space and the related rapid advances in technology have aroused passions. No no, I do not speak astronautics! They were balloons.
The great invention of de Montgolfier brothers date of 1783. For the first manned flight, the balloon (named a montgolfière) is inflated with hot air and tethered to the ground. The first free flight happened a month later.
A young mechanic, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, designed and tested the following year a hydrogen balloon, equipped with propeller and oars. The idea was viable: in 24 years, Blanchard ascended 66 times.
History has also considered the 45th ascent of Blanchard. On January 9, 1793, having left Philadelphia, he landed 16 km away. His departure had been honored by the presence of important figures, including Washington who had granted Blanchard a passport valid whatever the landing location. At Deptford, New Jersey, this machine of a new kind frightened the residents. For the first time a balloon had been flying over America.
The story of this journey, in 27 pages, was printed. A complete copy including the folding frontispiece showing the balloon is estimated at $ 8 K by Doyle in New York on October 28.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result is consistent with the estimate: 7.5 K $ excl, 9.4 K $ including premium.
The conquest of space and the related rapid advances in technology have aroused passions. No no, I do not speak astronautics! They were balloons.
The great invention of de Montgolfier brothers date of 1783. For the first manned flight, the balloon (named a montgolfière) is inflated with hot air and tethered to the ground. The first free flight happened a month later.
A young mechanic, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, designed and tested the following year a hydrogen balloon, equipped with propeller and oars. The idea was viable: in 24 years, Blanchard ascended 66 times.
History has also considered the 45th ascent of Blanchard. On January 9, 1793, having left Philadelphia, he landed 16 km away. His departure had been honored by the presence of important figures, including Washington who had granted Blanchard a passport valid whatever the landing location. At Deptford, New Jersey, this machine of a new kind frightened the residents. For the first time a balloon had been flying over America.
The story of this journey, in 27 pages, was printed. A complete copy including the folding frontispiece showing the balloon is estimated at $ 8 K by Doyle in New York on October 28.
POST SALE COMMENT
The result is consistent with the estimate: 7.5 K $ excl, 9.4 K $ including premium.
1793-1796 THE REPUBLICAN BLADE
2011 SOLD 223 K€ INCLUDING PREMIUM
2014 UNSOLD
PRE 2014 SALE DISCUSSION
On June 15, 2011, Delorme & Collin du Bocage sold a guillotine for € 223K including premium from an estimate of € 100K. Paris-Tribune reported after the sale that the buyer was a foreigner and perhaps will not get permission to bring this piece outside the French territory.
All available details suggest that the guillotine for sale on March 27 in Nantes by Talma is the same unit: same inscription "Armées de la République", same dimensions (300 x 175 x 230 cm), no identifiable difference between photos, same indication of probable provenance. This lot now estimated € 50K will be sold with forbidden export.
Here is the text from my previous article:
During the Révolution Française, politicians vied for new ideas to implement the concepts of liberty, equality andfraternity which will be in 1790 the new motto of the French state.
As early as October 1789, Guillotin suggested standardizing the executions regardless of social class or type of crime committed by the convict. According to this humanist, the killing must be swift and clear. The surgeon Antoine Louis was invited by Louis XVI to develop the machine, soon known as the guillotine.
The head of the condemned is clamped in a window that removes the possibilities of movement. A heavy oblique blade is positioned 2 meters above. When it is released, it falls freely and slices the neck. Times change: this instrument that was once a symbol of the progress of civilization has come to arouse horror.
A guillotine 3 meters high is for sale. It was for military use, as indicated by an inscription "Armées de la République"which certainly refers to the Wars of the Vendée (1793-1796). It is not accompanied by a license to use!
POST SALE COMMENT
Reconsidered just before the sale as being only a replica, the guillotine was not sold.
On June 15, 2011, Delorme & Collin du Bocage sold a guillotine for € 223K including premium from an estimate of € 100K. Paris-Tribune reported after the sale that the buyer was a foreigner and perhaps will not get permission to bring this piece outside the French territory.
All available details suggest that the guillotine for sale on March 27 in Nantes by Talma is the same unit: same inscription "Armées de la République", same dimensions (300 x 175 x 230 cm), no identifiable difference between photos, same indication of probable provenance. This lot now estimated € 50K will be sold with forbidden export.
Here is the text from my previous article:
During the Révolution Française, politicians vied for new ideas to implement the concepts of liberty, equality andfraternity which will be in 1790 the new motto of the French state.
As early as October 1789, Guillotin suggested standardizing the executions regardless of social class or type of crime committed by the convict. According to this humanist, the killing must be swift and clear. The surgeon Antoine Louis was invited by Louis XVI to develop the machine, soon known as the guillotine.
The head of the condemned is clamped in a window that removes the possibilities of movement. A heavy oblique blade is positioned 2 meters above. When it is released, it falls freely and slices the neck. Times change: this instrument that was once a symbol of the progress of civilization has come to arouse horror.
A guillotine 3 meters high is for sale. It was for military use, as indicated by an inscription "Armées de la République"which certainly refers to the Wars of the Vendée (1793-1796). It is not accompanied by a license to use!
POST SALE COMMENT
Reconsidered just before the sale as being only a replica, the guillotine was not sold.
1839 Photography offered to the World
2010 SOLD 730 K€ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The best action in the history of the techniques of knowledge takes place in Paris on August 19, 1839. The French government gives the photography to the world, meaning that the patent becomes public and unprotected to facilitate its development.
Already on January 9, in a memorable meeting chaired by Arago at the Académie des
Sciences, chemists, opticians and other science followers had been informed about the work of Niepce and Daguerre.The enthusiasm was tremendous, and many experimenters tried once to capture also the light.
The word Daguerréotype applies to Daguerre's process and to anything needed to achieve it. This explains why this word refers to both the shooting camera and the photographs on metal.
So in 1839, Daguerre markets a wooden photographic chambre à tiroir. The tiroir (drawer) is the slide that allows the focusing. This first series of devices is manufactured by Giroux and equipped with lenses made by Chevalier.
A Giroux Daguerréotype in original condition, signed by Daguerre, estimated 500 K €, is for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on May 29. This lot includes the operating instructions in German.
On the same year, Daguerre commissioned a second series of Daguerréotypes from the same drawing by Susse brothers. A copy, also in original condition, was sold 576 K€ including premium in the same auction room on May 26, 2007.
It is not surprising that the two cameras mentioned above are in good condition. Despite the improvements that Daguerre had already made, the progress of the new public art were so fast that our beautiful Daguerréotypes quickly became obsolete.
POST SALE COMMENT
Some items are truly exceptional. This was the case of this camera. Sold 610 K € before fees, 730 K € including premium, it had all the qualities to pay tribute to the inventors of photography.
The best action in the history of the techniques of knowledge takes place in Paris on August 19, 1839. The French government gives the photography to the world, meaning that the patent becomes public and unprotected to facilitate its development.
Already on January 9, in a memorable meeting chaired by Arago at the Académie des
Sciences, chemists, opticians and other science followers had been informed about the work of Niepce and Daguerre.The enthusiasm was tremendous, and many experimenters tried once to capture also the light.
The word Daguerréotype applies to Daguerre's process and to anything needed to achieve it. This explains why this word refers to both the shooting camera and the photographs on metal.
So in 1839, Daguerre markets a wooden photographic chambre à tiroir. The tiroir (drawer) is the slide that allows the focusing. This first series of devices is manufactured by Giroux and equipped with lenses made by Chevalier.
A Giroux Daguerréotype in original condition, signed by Daguerre, estimated 500 K €, is for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on May 29. This lot includes the operating instructions in German.
On the same year, Daguerre commissioned a second series of Daguerréotypes from the same drawing by Susse brothers. A copy, also in original condition, was sold 576 K€ including premium in the same auction room on May 26, 2007.
It is not surprising that the two cameras mentioned above are in good condition. Despite the improvements that Daguerre had already made, the progress of the new public art were so fast that our beautiful Daguerréotypes quickly became obsolete.
POST SALE COMMENT
Some items are truly exceptional. This was the case of this camera. Sold 610 K € before fees, 730 K € including premium, it had all the qualities to pay tribute to the inventors of photography.
1840 AT WORK, HERCULES !
2008 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
This steam locomotive was named Hercules. By 1840, one of these projects of railways so new on British land was to link Birmingham to Bristol, despite the difficulties accounted for the slopes to climb on this course. The promoter was the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Company, and the designer of Hercules was an American from Philadelphia, William Norris. As it can be seen, at that time the international industrial relations were already active.
What Bonhams sells on July 19 at Henley under number 470 is a scale model of Hercules, with a purpose of commercial demonstration: it is assumed that it was used to convince promoters to use this model.
Our mini Hercules has all the features of the full size locomotive, as evidenced by the detailed catalogue, and could probably operate. It is so pretty with its six wheels (four small in front, and two large behind), its boilers and its high chimney. Its length is 63 cm.
At that time, there were just over ten years since the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company made the triumph of the Rocket of Stephenson. Its belonging in the key period of the industrial revolution makes me classify it with objects of science and technology, but it has aroused the enthusiasm of the head of Toys staff at Bonhams. It is estimated 15 K£.
This steam locomotive was named Hercules. By 1840, one of these projects of railways so new on British land was to link Birmingham to Bristol, despite the difficulties accounted for the slopes to climb on this course. The promoter was the Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Company, and the designer of Hercules was an American from Philadelphia, William Norris. As it can be seen, at that time the international industrial relations were already active.
What Bonhams sells on July 19 at Henley under number 470 is a scale model of Hercules, with a purpose of commercial demonstration: it is assumed that it was used to convince promoters to use this model.
Our mini Hercules has all the features of the full size locomotive, as evidenced by the detailed catalogue, and could probably operate. It is so pretty with its six wheels (four small in front, and two large behind), its boilers and its high chimney. Its length is 63 cm.
At that time, there were just over ten years since the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Company made the triumph of the Rocket of Stephenson. Its belonging in the key period of the industrial revolution makes me classify it with objects of science and technology, but it has aroused the enthusiasm of the head of Toys staff at Bonhams. It is estimated 15 K£.
1872 the writing of the deaf
2016 sold for € 90k including premium
In 1865 Rasmus Malling-Hansen recently appointed pastor becomes principal at the Royal Institute for the Deaf in Copenhagen. He will have there his entire career. A careful and scrupulous educator, he greatly improves the living conditions of the children in his charge.
He considers several categories of deaf. Children whose disability is total and the mentally deficient have less chance for a normal life than those who maintain a rudimentary hearing and can speak.
The spoken language is faster than writing. Malling-Hansen invents as early as 1865 a writing ball that partially offsets this difference of speed and allows his pupils to participate in some sort of discussion. The spherical shape of the keyboard is due to the fact that all keys converge to the same point of the moving paper. The inventor filed a patent in 1870 and started a commercial production.
He is the undisputed pioneer in this field. His predecessors had not achieved more than poorly working prototypes. The writing ball of Malling-Hansen is however a complex machine whose manufacture is difficult and an industrialization is not realistic. Despite several awards in industrial expositions it can not compete with the type-writer with a flat keyboard invented by Sholes and Glidden, patented in 1868 and produced by Remington from 1873.
A Malling-Hansen writing ball was sold for € 100K before fees by Auction Team Breker in Cologne on May 21, 2016. Another example manufactured in 1872 is sold with its box on November 5 by the same auction house. It is estimated € 70K, lot 0108 here linked from LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
He considers several categories of deaf. Children whose disability is total and the mentally deficient have less chance for a normal life than those who maintain a rudimentary hearing and can speak.
The spoken language is faster than writing. Malling-Hansen invents as early as 1865 a writing ball that partially offsets this difference of speed and allows his pupils to participate in some sort of discussion. The spherical shape of the keyboard is due to the fact that all keys converge to the same point of the moving paper. The inventor filed a patent in 1870 and started a commercial production.
He is the undisputed pioneer in this field. His predecessors had not achieved more than poorly working prototypes. The writing ball of Malling-Hansen is however a complex machine whose manufacture is difficult and an industrialization is not realistic. Despite several awards in industrial expositions it can not compete with the type-writer with a flat keyboard invented by Sholes and Glidden, patented in 1868 and produced by Remington from 1873.
A Malling-Hansen writing ball was sold for € 100K before fees by Auction Team Breker in Cologne on May 21, 2016. Another example manufactured in 1872 is sold with its box on November 5 by the same auction house. It is estimated € 70K, lot 0108 here linked from LiveAuctioneers bidding platform.
1886-1887 A BOOK MADE OF SILK
2008 UNSOLD
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The city of Lyons (Lyon) is known for being the capital of silk in France. Lot 1495 from the sale of Reiss & Sohn in Königstein on 28 and 29 October is not unique, but it is of great rarity, and its place in the history of technical prowess is extraordinary.
The Livre de Prières (prayer book), published in Lyon in 1886-1887, is not a book. It has not been printed but instead it was woven on Jacquard type machines. The line is black on silver gray, the accuracy is one tenth of a millimeter. The drawings are taken from medieval illuminated books. It took 100 000 punch cards to achieve it, and only fifty copies have been successful. This work is a top of the technical capacity of Jacquard machines.
The copy of Reiss, presented in a box, is not binded. It is estimated 9 K €. This very low price is reasonable for an object out of the ordinary, but probably forgotten by most of us, except some Lyonnais specialists, of course. The auction house presents this technique as an anticipation of modern computers. It's fun, but such an argument will not raise the price!
The city of Lyons (Lyon) is known for being the capital of silk in France. Lot 1495 from the sale of Reiss & Sohn in Königstein on 28 and 29 October is not unique, but it is of great rarity, and its place in the history of technical prowess is extraordinary.
The Livre de Prières (prayer book), published in Lyon in 1886-1887, is not a book. It has not been printed but instead it was woven on Jacquard type machines. The line is black on silver gray, the accuracy is one tenth of a millimeter. The drawings are taken from medieval illuminated books. It took 100 000 punch cards to achieve it, and only fifty copies have been successful. This work is a top of the technical capacity of Jacquard machines.
The copy of Reiss, presented in a box, is not binded. It is estimated 9 K €. This very low price is reasonable for an object out of the ordinary, but probably forgotten by most of us, except some Lyonnais specialists, of course. The auction house presents this technique as an anticipation of modern computers. It's fun, but such an argument will not raise the price!
1901 THE MONSTER FROM CLYDE RIVER
2010 SOLD 57.6 K£ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
In 1901, a monster was born in Clydebank, in the shipyards of Glasgow harbour. She is Scottish, but with no relationship to the mysterious inhabitant of Loch Ness. I state she was a monster because this cruiser was named Leviathan, after the sea serpent whose mouth symbolized the entrance of Hell. She was built by John Brown & Co for the Royal Navy.
A monumental dockyard model of this Leviathan is for sale in London by Charles Miller on April 28. At 1/48th scale, it is 4 meters long. It is sold by a school of cadets, which owned it for half a century.
Shipbuilders' models are appreciated, and the estimate of £ 40 K£ is reasonable. This comment on the price is based on the excellent result just announced by Bonhams, who sold on April 14 in New York a model of Ascania liner (circa 1925) for 122 K $ including premium. Scaled 1/120, this piece is 1.60 m long.
Which one will climb highest in the barometer of auction: Transatlantic or Military? Both categories are attracting fervent collectors.
POST SALE DISCUSSION
The model of this Leviathan of the Royal Navy has been sold 57.6 K £ including premium, within the range of estimates.
In 1901, a monster was born in Clydebank, in the shipyards of Glasgow harbour. She is Scottish, but with no relationship to the mysterious inhabitant of Loch Ness. I state she was a monster because this cruiser was named Leviathan, after the sea serpent whose mouth symbolized the entrance of Hell. She was built by John Brown & Co for the Royal Navy.
A monumental dockyard model of this Leviathan is for sale in London by Charles Miller on April 28. At 1/48th scale, it is 4 meters long. It is sold by a school of cadets, which owned it for half a century.
Shipbuilders' models are appreciated, and the estimate of £ 40 K£ is reasonable. This comment on the price is based on the excellent result just announced by Bonhams, who sold on April 14 in New York a model of Ascania liner (circa 1925) for 122 K $ including premium. Scaled 1/120, this piece is 1.60 m long.
Which one will climb highest in the barometer of auction: Transatlantic or Military? Both categories are attracting fervent collectors.
POST SALE DISCUSSION
The model of this Leviathan of the Royal Navy has been sold 57.6 K £ including premium, within the range of estimates.
Here's more from our Top 10 lots in 10 days..
— Charles Miller Ltd (@CharlesMillerLt) March 14, 2022
NUMBER 8: A scale Dockyard Model of the 1st Class Armoured Cruiser, H.M.S. Leviathan. SOLD FOR: £59,520#MyTwitterAnniversary #Top10 #maritime pic.twitter.com/CNVgL6dVKC
1917 Birth of the Naval Aviation
2010 SOLD 506 K$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The history of aviation is dealing with bizarre machines. However, some of them have experienced in their time an undeniable success, which makes them to be appreciated as important links in the evolution of technology.
Manufacturer of engines for vehicles, Glenn Curtiss was one of the most important pioneers of heavier than air.Encouraged by Alexander Graham Bell, he was the first aviator to make a public flight, in 1908, shortly after the heroic trials of the Wright brothers.
Curtiss devoted much of his skill as an inventor to develop a flying boat for the U.S. Navy, with the aim of crossing the Atlantic. The Curtiss NC-4 managed this feat for the first time in 1919.
A Curtiss MF Seagull flying boat made in 1917 or 1918 is for sale by Bonhams in New York on April 13. It is easy to describe, as illustrated on the second picture of the interesting article shared by Cleveland.com: it is a biplane with propeller and aileron mounted on a boat for two pilots side by side.
This copy demilitarized after the war was carefully kept by an historical society of Cleveland, which has no money to maintain it anymore. Its wings covered with white fabric are particularly fragile. The estimate seems reasonable, at $ 300K, but the lucky buyer will have to anticipate a significant budget to maintain it in good condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This rare aircraft was sold 430 K $ hammer price, 506 K $ including premium, well above the low estimate.
The history of aviation is dealing with bizarre machines. However, some of them have experienced in their time an undeniable success, which makes them to be appreciated as important links in the evolution of technology.
Manufacturer of engines for vehicles, Glenn Curtiss was one of the most important pioneers of heavier than air.Encouraged by Alexander Graham Bell, he was the first aviator to make a public flight, in 1908, shortly after the heroic trials of the Wright brothers.
Curtiss devoted much of his skill as an inventor to develop a flying boat for the U.S. Navy, with the aim of crossing the Atlantic. The Curtiss NC-4 managed this feat for the first time in 1919.
A Curtiss MF Seagull flying boat made in 1917 or 1918 is for sale by Bonhams in New York on April 13. It is easy to describe, as illustrated on the second picture of the interesting article shared by Cleveland.com: it is a biplane with propeller and aileron mounted on a boat for two pilots side by side.
This copy demilitarized after the war was carefully kept by an historical society of Cleveland, which has no money to maintain it anymore. Its wings covered with white fabric are particularly fragile. The estimate seems reasonable, at $ 300K, but the lucky buyer will have to anticipate a significant budget to maintain it in good condition.
POST SALE COMMENT
This rare aircraft was sold 430 K $ hammer price, 506 K $ including premium, well above the low estimate.
1929 The Plane of Remote Forests
2010 SOLD 670 K$ including premium
There are two reasons for focusing on the Hamilton Metalplane H47 of 1929 for sale by Barrett-Jackson in Scottsdale, Arizona, on January 23.
This old aircraft now returned to flight status is closely following a Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor, also of 1929, which reached $ 1.2 million one year ago in the same place. The auction house is positioning well in the niche market of the aircraft collection.
But while Barrett-Jackson reveals the technical details, the Canadian press is enthusiastic about the past career of this aircraft. Purchased new by the Ontario Provincial Air Service, it contributed during twenty years in monitoring, understanding and caring the forests and lakes of the far north of Canada, not really accessible by the other transportation systems.
Sources:
Catalog, shared by the auction house
Article published today by National Post
POST SALE COMMENT
The result, 670 K $ including premium, remains well below the price of the Ford of last year. In this niche market, in the absence of published estimates, it is difficult to analyze in advance the importance of a lot.
This old aircraft now returned to flight status is closely following a Ford 4-AT-E Tri-Motor, also of 1929, which reached $ 1.2 million one year ago in the same place. The auction house is positioning well in the niche market of the aircraft collection.
But while Barrett-Jackson reveals the technical details, the Canadian press is enthusiastic about the past career of this aircraft. Purchased new by the Ontario Provincial Air Service, it contributed during twenty years in monitoring, understanding and caring the forests and lakes of the far north of Canada, not really accessible by the other transportation systems.
Sources:
Catalog, shared by the auction house
Article published today by National Post
POST SALE COMMENT
The result, 670 K $ including premium, remains well below the price of the Ford of last year. In this niche market, in the absence of published estimates, it is difficult to analyze in advance the importance of a lot.
1939 THE CIPHER WAR
2011 SOLD 133 K£ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
Decryption of coded messages is fun for the best mathematicians. Sometimes the issue is extremely important.Possibly World War II was actually won by them in their workshops well away from the battlefields.
The Germans have a unified communication system used by all services, based on the Enigma machines. These are electro-mechanical transmitters of Morse messages crypted through three rotors. The setting of the rotors is changed every day according to a position defined by mail to all users.
The combinations are endless, and the Germans believe that their system is inviolable. They are wrong.
English teams of mathematicians succeeded better than spies in the cipher war, by analyzing the recurrence of letters and the patterns of language, and more specifically relying on weather reports which were less sophisticated because less strategic. At the end of the war, the British were able to decode 6000 German secret messages per day.
On September 29 in London, Christie's sells an Enigma machine made circa 1939. It is estimated £ 30K, and illustrated in the article shared by CNN.
POST SALE COMMENT
This interesting machine deserved more than its estimate. It was sold £ 133K including premium.
Decryption of coded messages is fun for the best mathematicians. Sometimes the issue is extremely important.Possibly World War II was actually won by them in their workshops well away from the battlefields.
The Germans have a unified communication system used by all services, based on the Enigma machines. These are electro-mechanical transmitters of Morse messages crypted through three rotors. The setting of the rotors is changed every day according to a position defined by mail to all users.
The combinations are endless, and the Germans believe that their system is inviolable. They are wrong.
English teams of mathematicians succeeded better than spies in the cipher war, by analyzing the recurrence of letters and the patterns of language, and more specifically relying on weather reports which were less sophisticated because less strategic. At the end of the war, the British were able to decode 6000 German secret messages per day.
On September 29 in London, Christie's sells an Enigma machine made circa 1939. It is estimated £ 30K, and illustrated in the article shared by CNN.
POST SALE COMMENT
This interesting machine deserved more than its estimate. It was sold £ 133K including premium.
1942-1944 secret messages through four rotors
2015 sold for $ 365K including premium
Invented in 1918, the Enigma machine to encode and decode secret messages got a much increasing development from the time when the German army was interested to it in the mid-1930s. Models were originally fitted with three rotors. I recently discussed in this column an Enigma I that was sold for $ 210K including premium by Bonhams on September 21, 2015.
Two market segments are covered in different product lines. The military use is identified by the letter M and the commercial with K.
One of them was sold for € 45K before fees by Breker on April 18, 2015. Another one is for sale at the same auction house in Cologne on November 7, lot 24 estimated € 20K here linked on LiveAuctioneers. These two machines are not in matching numbers.
The transmitters of secrets worry about the risk of the breaking of the code by the competitor or the enemy. Around 1939 the Enigma K are equipped with a fourth rotor with the same automatic motion as the first three.
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 higher complexity of the Enigma. The M4 built from 1942 have their three automatic rotors plus a fourth rotor set by hand across 26 positions.
All submarines of the German Navy are equipped with two M4 Enigmas each between 1942 and 1944. Most of the M4 were destroyed in the sinking of their submarine, or by the officers before the surrender, or by the Allied forces after the capture.
An M4 in matching numbers is estimated $ 300K for sale byBonhams in New York on October 21, lot 285. It is shown in operation in the video shared by the auction house.
Another M4 with mismatched numbers of the rotors is estimated £ 80K for sale by Bonhams in London on October 27, lot 52.
AUCTION RESULTS :
Bonhams New York : SOLD for $ 365K including premium
Bonhams London : SOLD for £ 146K including premium
Breker : SOLD fo € 31K before fees
Two market segments are covered in different product lines. The military use is identified by the letter M and the commercial with K.
One of them was sold for € 45K before fees by Breker on April 18, 2015. Another one is for sale at the same auction house in Cologne on November 7, lot 24 estimated € 20K here linked on LiveAuctioneers. These two machines are not in matching numbers.
The transmitters of secrets worry about the risk of the breaking of the code by the competitor or the enemy. Around 1939 the Enigma K are equipped with a fourth rotor with the same automatic motion as the first three.
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 higher complexity of the Enigma. The M4 built from 1942 have their three automatic rotors plus a fourth rotor set by hand across 26 positions.
All submarines of the German Navy are equipped with two M4 Enigmas each between 1942 and 1944. Most of the M4 were destroyed in the sinking of their submarine, or by the officers before the surrender, or by the Allied forces after the capture.
An M4 in matching numbers is estimated $ 300K for sale byBonhams in New York on October 21, lot 285. It is shown in operation in the video shared by the auction house.
Another M4 with mismatched numbers of the rotors is estimated £ 80K for sale by Bonhams in London on October 27, lot 52.
AUCTION RESULTS :
Bonhams New York : SOLD for $ 365K including premium
Bonhams London : SOLD for £ 146K including premium
Breker : SOLD fo € 31K before fees
1943 the manhattan viewing window
2014 unsold
The Manhattan Project was disproportionate, at the level of the huge political issues of its time. The target was to be the first in developing operational atomic weapons. The best scientists converged their knowledge of radioactivity. Thirty laboratories were used or created in secret, spreading over the whole territory of the United States along with the United Kingdom and Canada.
The Hanford site in southern Washington State was built in 1943, far from any urban center to compensate for the impact of a potential nuclear accident. It was dedicated to the creation of plutonium by irradiation of uranium and its activity was one of the milestones in the development of the bomb.
Despite the radioactive danger, researchers needed to visually inspect the physical and chemical phenomena. Glass windows very heavily loaded with lead were used for their protection.
A window of Hanford type is estimated $ 150K, for sale by Bonhams in New York on October 22, lot 262.
This highly unusual piece is a rectangle of 137 x 91 cm with a 15 cm depth, weighing 680 kg, re-emitting a strange yellow glow. The catalog makes it clear that this specimen is not radioactive.
The Hanford site in southern Washington State was built in 1943, far from any urban center to compensate for the impact of a potential nuclear accident. It was dedicated to the creation of plutonium by irradiation of uranium and its activity was one of the milestones in the development of the bomb.
Despite the radioactive danger, researchers needed to visually inspect the physical and chemical phenomena. Glass windows very heavily loaded with lead were used for their protection.
A window of Hanford type is estimated $ 150K, for sale by Bonhams in New York on October 22, lot 262.
This highly unusual piece is a rectangle of 137 x 91 cm with a 15 cm depth, weighing 680 kg, re-emitting a strange yellow glow. The catalog makes it clear that this specimen is not radioactive.
1944 Enigma M4 for Kriegsmarine
2017 SOLD for $ 435K by Sotheby's
Three Enigma cipher machines are listed for the sale by Sotheby's in New York on December 12. All of them are announced as fully operational. Two of them, recognizable by their serial numbers, were already discussed in this column.
Lot 65 estimated $ 120K is an example from the early 1930s. It was sold for $ 210K including premium by Bonhams on September 21, 2015, lot 73, accompanied by a video. I narrated the early history of the Enigmas and this specific machine as follows before the Bonhams sale :
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 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 machine for sale is of the first type with three rotors. Its elements have been kept in matching numbers, which is very rare. The serial number indicates that this Enigma dates from the early 1930s, in the transition period between Reichswehr and Wehrmacht.
Lot 66 is a three rotor K model made for Swiss use ca 1939. K means Kommerz. It was sold for € 31K before fees by Breker on November 7, 2015 and is now estimated $ 70K. Another three rotor machine from the same period was sold for £ 133K including premium by Christie's on September 29, 2011.
The M4 variant adds a fourth rotor along with further complication for use by the Kriegsmarine to transmit their most secret messages. Most of the M4 were destroyed in the sinking of their submarines in the Atlantic war. Lot 67 estimated $ 350K is an M4 made in 1944. Another M4 was sold for $ 365K including premium by Bonhams on October 21, 2015.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM :
early 1930 s : $ 81K
'Swiss' model ca 1939 : $ 75K
1944 M4 model for Kriegsmarine: $ 435K
Lot 65 estimated $ 120K is an example from the early 1930s. It was sold for $ 210K including premium by Bonhams on September 21, 2015, lot 73, accompanied by a video. I narrated the early history of the Enigmas and this specific machine as follows before the Bonhams sale :
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 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 machine for sale is of the first type with three rotors. Its elements have been kept in matching numbers, which is very rare. The serial number indicates that this Enigma dates from the early 1930s, in the transition period between Reichswehr and Wehrmacht.
Lot 66 is a three rotor K model made for Swiss use ca 1939. K means Kommerz. It was sold for € 31K before fees by Breker on November 7, 2015 and is now estimated $ 70K. Another three rotor machine from the same period was sold for £ 133K including premium by Christie's on September 29, 2011.
The M4 variant adds a fourth rotor along with further complication for use by the Kriegsmarine to transmit their most secret messages. Most of the M4 were destroyed in the sinking of their submarines in the Atlantic war. Lot 67 estimated $ 350K is an M4 made in 1944. Another M4 was sold for $ 365K including premium by Bonhams on October 21, 2015.
RESULTS INCLUDING PREMIUM :
early 1930 s : $ 81K
'Swiss' model ca 1939 : $ 75K
1944 M4 model for Kriegsmarine: $ 435K
1954 LAUGHING WITH CHARLEY AND LUCY
2011 SOLD 7.5 K$ BEFORE FEES
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
During the 1950s, the television is appreciating its huge potential impact on the general public. Shows diversify, compete with each other. Sound engineers are working miracles.
The laughter of the live audience is difficult to use offline: too short, or too long, or too low compared to the effectdesired by the producer.
Two inventors develop the laugh machine at the same time at the end of 1954. On this special tape recorder, a push-button keyboard starts tapes with prerecorded laughter of which the operator can choose the duration and intensity.
Their machines arrive in the same sale, at Don Presley in Orange CA. We have no idea on how much they can value, but we will not need a long patience: the sale is tomorrow, June 26.
The most important of the two is the Laff Box of Charley Douglass. In working condition, it was used by the auctioneerto entertain one of his previous sales, and he presents it himself in a nice video. It may finally reveal its secrets: to keep the monopoly, the inventor never lent it. It comes with the register that lists the shows to which it contributed.
The other machine is also unique: it is a prototype developed by Jess Oppenheimer, the producer of the television series I Love Lucy which ensured the glory of Lucille Ball.
Here are the links to the site of the auction house and to both lots on the catalog shared by the web auction providerLiveAuctioneer: the Laff Box and Oppenheimer's Jayo Laugh Machine.
POST SALE COMMENT
Lucy won! The Jayo Laugh Machine was sold $ 7.5 K before fees. More ambitious, the Laff Box did not reach its reserve price.
During the 1950s, the television is appreciating its huge potential impact on the general public. Shows diversify, compete with each other. Sound engineers are working miracles.
The laughter of the live audience is difficult to use offline: too short, or too long, or too low compared to the effectdesired by the producer.
Two inventors develop the laugh machine at the same time at the end of 1954. On this special tape recorder, a push-button keyboard starts tapes with prerecorded laughter of which the operator can choose the duration and intensity.
Their machines arrive in the same sale, at Don Presley in Orange CA. We have no idea on how much they can value, but we will not need a long patience: the sale is tomorrow, June 26.
The most important of the two is the Laff Box of Charley Douglass. In working condition, it was used by the auctioneerto entertain one of his previous sales, and he presents it himself in a nice video. It may finally reveal its secrets: to keep the monopoly, the inventor never lent it. It comes with the register that lists the shows to which it contributed.
The other machine is also unique: it is a prototype developed by Jess Oppenheimer, the producer of the television series I Love Lucy which ensured the glory of Lucille Ball.
Here are the links to the site of the auction house and to both lots on the catalog shared by the web auction providerLiveAuctioneer: the Laff Box and Oppenheimer's Jayo Laugh Machine.
POST SALE COMMENT
Lucy won! The Jayo Laugh Machine was sold $ 7.5 K before fees. More ambitious, the Laff Box did not reach its reserve price.
1958 THE INTEGRATED ELECTRONICS
2017 UNSOLD
The microchip has been invented by Jack Kilby on behalf of Texas Instruments and prototyped on germanium. A sample from the early experiment is kept at the Smithsonian and another one at the Chicago’s Museum of Technology.
Another early prototype had been kept by Tom Yeargan who was Kilby's chemical assistant. It will be sold in its mother city Dallas by Heritage on November 4, lot 72176 estimated $ 400K. It is complete with leads and wires on its original glass brick. This lot includes also a silicon prototype and a few documents.
I introduced as follows the key role of this invention before the same lot passed at Christie's on June 19, 2014 with a bidding at $ 850K that did not reach the reserved price required at that time.
A few inventions of the utmost importance punctuate the development of our civilization from settlement to globalization. Tool, weaving, art, number, writing, wheel and coin belong to antiquity.
Electronics, still in its infancy 60 years ago, accompanies all features of current life. Associated with the machine, it offers sophisticated robots. Associated with the wave, it enables an instantaneous world communication.
The starting point of modern electronics is the invention of the semiconductor transistor in 1947 in a laboratory of the Bell Telephone company. The scientists expect the miniaturization of computers. The military are interested. The industrialization is quickly growing.
Physicists, chemists and inventors embark into this new race to progress. In 1952, pioneers already imagine that the combination of transistors on a single piece of silicon or germanium will help to achieve complex electronic functionalities.
In 1958 Jack Kilby, an engineer recently hired by Texas Instruments company, manages to generate an oscillating signal by powering a germanium die specially prepared for him by the chemist Tom Yeargan.
The integrated circuit was born, immediately applied both to analog signals and to logic functions. Like for printing press, photography, telephone and motion pictures, the precedence of the first inventor over his competitors was short, but Kilby has well deserved his Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 and Texas Instruments still remains one of the top leaders for the design and production of electronic parts.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
Another early prototype had been kept by Tom Yeargan who was Kilby's chemical assistant. It will be sold in its mother city Dallas by Heritage on November 4, lot 72176 estimated $ 400K. It is complete with leads and wires on its original glass brick. This lot includes also a silicon prototype and a few documents.
I introduced as follows the key role of this invention before the same lot passed at Christie's on June 19, 2014 with a bidding at $ 850K that did not reach the reserved price required at that time.
A few inventions of the utmost importance punctuate the development of our civilization from settlement to globalization. Tool, weaving, art, number, writing, wheel and coin belong to antiquity.
Electronics, still in its infancy 60 years ago, accompanies all features of current life. Associated with the machine, it offers sophisticated robots. Associated with the wave, it enables an instantaneous world communication.
The starting point of modern electronics is the invention of the semiconductor transistor in 1947 in a laboratory of the Bell Telephone company. The scientists expect the miniaturization of computers. The military are interested. The industrialization is quickly growing.
Physicists, chemists and inventors embark into this new race to progress. In 1952, pioneers already imagine that the combination of transistors on a single piece of silicon or germanium will help to achieve complex electronic functionalities.
In 1958 Jack Kilby, an engineer recently hired by Texas Instruments company, manages to generate an oscillating signal by powering a germanium die specially prepared for him by the chemist Tom Yeargan.
The integrated circuit was born, immediately applied both to analog signals and to logic functions. Like for printing press, photography, telephone and motion pictures, the precedence of the first inventor over his competitors was short, but Kilby has well deserved his Nobel Prize in Physics in 2000 and Texas Instruments still remains one of the top leaders for the design and production of electronic parts.
Please watch the video shared by the auction house.
1959 A Leica with Electric Motor Drive
2010 SOLD 400 K€ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
It is a very instructive example of interactive progress between two techniques: the motion picture is a logical continuation of photography and flexible film photography would not exist without the cinema.
Engineer at Leitz in Wetzlar, Oskar Barnack had very early the idea of a camera using the motion picture film in horizontal drive. This was the Leica, simply meaning Leitz camera, which started the universal format of the twentieth century, 24 x 36 mm.
Leica cameras remained until today at the forefront of progress, and are sought after by specialized enthusiasts.
A Leica MP2 is for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on December 4. This is not a prototype, but a model from an experimental series.
This is one of 14 copies of the first model of Leicas equipped with an electric motor film advance, and one of 6 black copies. In its original condition, almost new, it is estimated € 150K.
Produced in 1959, it was too ahead of its time. It was another 7 years before Leica offered a new model with electric drive.
POST SALE COMMENT
The auction house WestLicht is the leader for top cameras. Their argument about the uniqueness of this Leica was convincing. They sold it € 335K before fees, 400K including premium.
It is a very instructive example of interactive progress between two techniques: the motion picture is a logical continuation of photography and flexible film photography would not exist without the cinema.
Engineer at Leitz in Wetzlar, Oskar Barnack had very early the idea of a camera using the motion picture film in horizontal drive. This was the Leica, simply meaning Leitz camera, which started the universal format of the twentieth century, 24 x 36 mm.
Leica cameras remained until today at the forefront of progress, and are sought after by specialized enthusiasts.
A Leica MP2 is for sale by WestLicht in Vienna on December 4. This is not a prototype, but a model from an experimental series.
This is one of 14 copies of the first model of Leicas equipped with an electric motor film advance, and one of 6 black copies. In its original condition, almost new, it is estimated € 150K.
Produced in 1959, it was too ahead of its time. It was another 7 years before Leica offered a new model with electric drive.
POST SALE COMMENT
The auction house WestLicht is the leader for top cameras. Their argument about the uniqueness of this Leica was convincing. They sold it € 335K before fees, 400K including premium.
1976 Wonders in Palo Alto
2012 SOLD 375 K$ including premium
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The steps of the great technological revolution of the communication have been gradual and fast: the early events arethe invention of the transistor in 1948, the integrated circuit in 1958 and the microprocessor in 1969.
Fans start then to use their soldering iron to test the new wonders. Clubs and shops are created.
At Palo Alto in 1976, two young inventors introduce an already highly developed system: around a motherboard, other equipment can be connected to facilitate the use, such as a keyboard and a monitor. They became famous: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Paul Terrell, owner of the specialty store Byte Shop in Mountain View, is also a visionary. He wants to buy 50 copies of the Apple I machine of the two Steves, but only if the components are already assembled on the motherboard, to be able to offer it ready-made.
The operation is a success. 150 additional Apple I will also be sold directly by Apple. The improvement ideas gush at such a speed that the Apple I will be very ephemeral, soon replaced by the Apple II.
On June 15 in New York, Sotheby's sells an Apple I motherboard, estimated $ 120K, which is one of only six whichare still identified as being in working condition. Here is the link to the catalog.
Another Apple I in its original shipping box, with a letter from Steve Jobs, was sold £ 133K including premium at Christie's on November 23, 2010.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sotheby's expected a result above the estimate. Done: $ 375K including premium.
A new market is created around technological innovations that went into success. Here is another recent example: a Leica 0 camera was sold € 2.16 million including premium by WestLicht on May 12, 2012.
The steps of the great technological revolution of the communication have been gradual and fast: the early events arethe invention of the transistor in 1948, the integrated circuit in 1958 and the microprocessor in 1969.
Fans start then to use their soldering iron to test the new wonders. Clubs and shops are created.
At Palo Alto in 1976, two young inventors introduce an already highly developed system: around a motherboard, other equipment can be connected to facilitate the use, such as a keyboard and a monitor. They became famous: Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Paul Terrell, owner of the specialty store Byte Shop in Mountain View, is also a visionary. He wants to buy 50 copies of the Apple I machine of the two Steves, but only if the components are already assembled on the motherboard, to be able to offer it ready-made.
The operation is a success. 150 additional Apple I will also be sold directly by Apple. The improvement ideas gush at such a speed that the Apple I will be very ephemeral, soon replaced by the Apple II.
On June 15 in New York, Sotheby's sells an Apple I motherboard, estimated $ 120K, which is one of only six whichare still identified as being in working condition. Here is the link to the catalog.
Another Apple I in its original shipping box, with a letter from Steve Jobs, was sold £ 133K including premium at Christie's on November 23, 2010.
POST SALE COMMENT
Sotheby's expected a result above the estimate. Done: $ 375K including premium.
A new market is created around technological innovations that went into success. Here is another recent example: a Leica 0 camera was sold € 2.16 million including premium by WestLicht on May 12, 2012.
1976 The Garage of the Jobs Family
2014 SOLD for $ 365K including premium
The rapid sequence of events that led in 1976 to the production by Jobs and Wozniak of the Apple 1, the first pre-assembled personal computer, 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.
Some of the 200 Apple 1 are still functioning without having undergone repairs. Their price at auction is growing. One of the 50 units supplied to Byte Shop was sold for $ 900K including premium by Bonhams on October 22, 2014. It was accompanied by its original Apple 1 cassette interface.
Another remarkable Apple 1 is estimated $ 400K, for sale by Christie's in New York on December 11, lot 34. The invention of the two young engineers attracted some curiosity. This unit was sold by Jobs to a neighbor in his parents' garage at Los Altos on July 27, 1976.
The motherboard is accompanied by the Apple 1 user manual. Its operational condition has been verified by an expert.
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.
Some of the 200 Apple 1 are still functioning without having undergone repairs. Their price at auction is growing. One of the 50 units supplied to Byte Shop was sold for $ 900K including premium by Bonhams on October 22, 2014. It was accompanied by its original Apple 1 cassette interface.
Another remarkable Apple 1 is estimated $ 400K, for sale by Christie's in New York on December 11, lot 34. The invention of the two young engineers attracted some curiosity. This unit was sold by Jobs to a neighbor in his parents' garage at Los Altos on July 27, 1976.
The motherboard is accompanied by the Apple 1 user manual. Its operational condition has been verified by an expert.
1976 SIGNED BY WOZ
2013 SOLD 246 K€ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The Apple I is a revolution in the history of electronic computers. The motherboard developed by Jobs and Wozniak in 1976 is used with a set of peripherals. This modularity will make such calculators accessible to all users.
The first series of fifty Apple I made in a hurry to be delivered to The Byte Shop in Mountain View CA has become legendary. The serial number 01-0046 is estimated over € 250K, for sale by Auction Team Breker in Cologne on November 16. The motherboard is signed by " Woz " .
This is undoubtedly one of the best examples, still in working condition and with its original box. The motherboard comes with its keyboard and monitor and with cassettes for loading the BASIC program that was the most user friendly at that time.
The very rare Apple I sets in working condition are highly sought after and prices go up : $ 375K including premium by Sotheby's on July 15, 2012, € 490K including premium by Breker on November 24, 2012 , € 520K including premium on May 25, 2013 also by Breker. No. 46 had not yet been offered at auction.
POST SALE COMMENT
Unsold in the saleroom, this computer was sold for € 246K including premium in post sale.
The Apple I is a revolution in the history of electronic computers. The motherboard developed by Jobs and Wozniak in 1976 is used with a set of peripherals. This modularity will make such calculators accessible to all users.
The first series of fifty Apple I made in a hurry to be delivered to The Byte Shop in Mountain View CA has become legendary. The serial number 01-0046 is estimated over € 250K, for sale by Auction Team Breker in Cologne on November 16. The motherboard is signed by " Woz " .
This is undoubtedly one of the best examples, still in working condition and with its original box. The motherboard comes with its keyboard and monitor and with cassettes for loading the BASIC program that was the most user friendly at that time.
The very rare Apple I sets in working condition are highly sought after and prices go up : $ 375K including premium by Sotheby's on July 15, 2012, € 490K including premium by Breker on November 24, 2012 , € 520K including premium on May 25, 2013 also by Breker. No. 46 had not yet been offered at auction.
POST SALE COMMENT
Unsold in the saleroom, this computer was sold for € 246K including premium in post sale.
1976 THE SEEDS OF THE APPLE
2010 SOLD 133 K£ INCLUDING PREMIUM
PRE SALE DISCUSSION
The nineteenth century saw the discovery of radio waves, and the twentieth century the invention of the semiconductor integrated circuits. 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.
The first real series production of micro-computers was made in 1977. The Apple II was one of them. The public already led on by the excellent pocket calculators of Hewlett Packard will very quickly assure the success of these new machines that nobody can reasonably do without in today's world.
The Apple I computer, which in 1976 was the first model built by Jobs and Wozniak, is like a piece of technological archeology. 200 copies were built entirely by hand.
On November 23 in London, Christie's sells the serial number 82 of the Apple I.
The original purchaser was particularly careful and the kit has not been dispersed. Thus the batch still contained in the original shipping box includes the motherboard equipped of its components, various connection interfaces, the Apple cassette, the user manual and even a letter from Steve Jobs. We can see all of them in the article shared by The Tech Herald.
The lot contains no keyboard or monitor as they were to be purchased separately by the user.
One may wonder how many from the 30 to 50 copies of Apple I surviving today remain as complete as this one. The Apple brand has retained passionate fans and the press has done a good coverage of this event. The estimate, £ 100K, seems reasonable.
POST SALE COMMENT
Successful sale at £ 133K including premium, slightly above the lower estimate.
The nineteenth century saw the discovery of radio waves, and the twentieth century the invention of the semiconductor integrated circuits. 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.
The first real series production of micro-computers was made in 1977. The Apple II was one of them. The public already led on by the excellent pocket calculators of Hewlett Packard will very quickly assure the success of these new machines that nobody can reasonably do without in today's world.
The Apple I computer, which in 1976 was the first model built by Jobs and Wozniak, is like a piece of technological archeology. 200 copies were built entirely by hand.
On November 23 in London, Christie's sells the serial number 82 of the Apple I.
The original purchaser was particularly careful and the kit has not been dispersed. Thus the batch still contained in the original shipping box includes the motherboard equipped of its components, various connection interfaces, the Apple cassette, the user manual and even a letter from Steve Jobs. We can see all of them in the article shared by The Tech Herald.
The lot contains no keyboard or monitor as they were to be purchased separately by the user.
One may wonder how many from the 30 to 50 copies of Apple I surviving today remain as complete as this one. The Apple brand has retained passionate fans and the press has done a good coverage of this event. The estimate, £ 100K, seems reasonable.
POST SALE COMMENT
Successful sale at £ 133K including premium, slightly above the lower estimate.
1976 a motherboard in museum quality
2015 SOLD for $ 365K including premium
The Apple Computer 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.
Among about 200 Apple-1, some are casually resurfacing, like this unit left at the beginning of this year in a recycling center by a widow among boxes of obsolete electronic equipment. The owner had failed to provide her identity.
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 pioneers of the personal computer obviously appeal to the museums, provided they are in working condition. One of them, sold for $ 375K including premium by Sotheby's on 15 June 2012, is displayed by the Nexon Computer Museum in South Korea. Another one was sold for $ 900K including premium at auction by Bonhams on October 22, 2014 to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.
The growing interest in the Apple-1 led to the discovery of functional units that were previously unknown. The registry carefully maintained by Mike Willegal identifies no less than 16 Apple-1 whose satisfactory operational status has been verified since 2010. This high rate is explained by the fact that the Apple-1 was rarely used by its customers due to the significant improvements offered by the Apple-II from the following year.
Bonhams is familiar with these machines. Yet the near new condition, with no peeling in the printed circuit, of the motherboard 01-0059 for sale by them in New York on September 21 arouses their admiration. Its history is exemplary. Its first owner who sold it before 1981 to a specialized dealer stated that he had powered it only once or twice, and the dealer kept in on his shelf.
This Apple-1 is estimated $ 300K, lot 77. The video shared by the auction house is confirming its remarkable condition.
Among about 200 Apple-1, some are casually resurfacing, like this unit left at the beginning of this year in a recycling center by a widow among boxes of obsolete electronic equipment. The owner had failed to provide her identity.
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 pioneers of the personal computer obviously appeal to the museums, provided they are in working condition. One of them, sold for $ 375K including premium by Sotheby's on 15 June 2012, is displayed by the Nexon Computer Museum in South Korea. Another one was sold for $ 900K including premium at auction by Bonhams on October 22, 2014 to the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan.
The growing interest in the Apple-1 led to the discovery of functional units that were previously unknown. The registry carefully maintained by Mike Willegal identifies no less than 16 Apple-1 whose satisfactory operational status has been verified since 2010. This high rate is explained by the fact that the Apple-1 was rarely used by its customers due to the significant improvements offered by the Apple-II from the following year.
Bonhams is familiar with these machines. Yet the near new condition, with no peeling in the printed circuit, of the motherboard 01-0059 for sale by them in New York on September 21 arouses their admiration. Its history is exemplary. Its first owner who sold it before 1981 to a specialized dealer stated that he had powered it only once or twice, and the dealer kept in on his shelf.
This Apple-1 is estimated $ 300K, lot 77. The video shared by the auction house is confirming its remarkable condition.
1977 Apple 1 ex Data Domain
2023 bidding closed at $ 273K by RR Auction
A fully functional Apple 1 from the Byte Shop original model has just resurfaced, not hitherto recorded in the Apple 1 registry. Marked 01-0064 on the back of the motherboard, it had been made after the Byte Shop batch of 50 but precedes the second 1976 batch of 200 with the NTI logo on the board. The board is signed by Wozniak.
This example had been supplied in 1977 as a demonstration unit to Data Domain, a computer retailer in Columbus, Indiana. This company is believed being the first to use the wording "personal computer".
Obsoleted by the release of the Apple II, this computer was presented in 1978 to a private owner who treasured it complete of all components and accessories required for operation. In 2019 he had it restarted by a former Apple employee. It was revised by the Apple 1 expert Corey Cohen in 2022. The original microprocessor is in good condition.
Consigned by the original owner with a detailed provenance statement, it is estimated $ 500K for sale by RR Auction on March 16, 2023, lot 8005. It is accompanied by its original Data Domain case, by the original power supply, by unbound copies of the 2nd versions of the Apple-1 Operation Manual and Preliminary Apple Basic User's Manual and by a bound original Apple Cassette Interface Manual.
It is demonstrated in the video shared by the auction house.
This example had been supplied in 1977 as a demonstration unit to Data Domain, a computer retailer in Columbus, Indiana. This company is believed being the first to use the wording "personal computer".
Obsoleted by the release of the Apple II, this computer was presented in 1978 to a private owner who treasured it complete of all components and accessories required for operation. In 2019 he had it restarted by a former Apple employee. It was revised by the Apple 1 expert Corey Cohen in 2022. The original microprocessor is in good condition.
Consigned by the original owner with a detailed provenance statement, it is estimated $ 500K for sale by RR Auction on March 16, 2023, lot 8005. It is accompanied by its original Data Domain case, by the original power supply, by unbound copies of the 2nd versions of the Apple-1 Operation Manual and Preliminary Apple Basic User's Manual and by a bound original Apple Cassette Interface Manual.
It is demonstrated in the video shared by the auction house.
