Christie’s is set to auction items from the collection of the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, including an Apple-1 from the desk of Steve Jobs, estimated to go for $500,000 to $800,000. The auction will take place in New York on September 10 as part of a broader sale that includes mainframe computers, minicomputers, and microcomputers from the Living Computers Museum + Labs in Seattle, which is now permanently closed.
The decision to auction items from Allen’s collection was made public in June after the Living Computers Museum was shut down, raising concerns from donors who had contributed artifacts to the museum over the years. Some are hoping that significant pieces from the museum will remain in the region for public display. The auction will feature a variety of Microsoft-related items, such as early memos, programming printouts, and historic software packages, including a MITS Altair 8800 and a copy of Bill Gates’ “Open Letter to Hobbyists” from 1975.
Christie’s announced details of the three sales, titled “Gen One: Innovations from the Paul G. Allen Collection,” which will include more than 150 items across online and live sales. The proceeds from the auction will go to charitable causes as per Allen’s wishes. The online sales will be open for bidding between August 23 and September 12, with items ranging from historic computers like the 1971 DEC PDP-10 to early Microsoft coding printouts and a Compaq Portable 286 used by Paul Allen.
The live sale, “Pushing Boundaries: Ingenuity from the Paul G. Allen Collection,” will feature items like an archive with letters from famous primatologists, a signed letter from Albert Einstein to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the original pitchbook for “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau.” Other noteworthy items include an Enigma Machine from 1941, a luncheon menu from the Titanic, and a Pac-Man Arcade game from 1980. An exhibition of items from the sale will be held at Christie’s New York from September 5-9.
The second online sale, titled “Over the Horizon: Art of the Future,” will include artwork related to space exploration, such as paintings by Chelsey Bonestell and illustrations from the “Collier’s” series that promoted the Space Race. Christie’s previously worked with Allen’s estate for a successful auction of his art collection in 2022, which raised a record $1.62 billion. Since Allen’s death in 2018, his estate has been divesting various projects and investments, including the Flying Heritage and Combat Armor Museum, Vulcan Productions, and the superyacht Octopus.
Overall, the auction of items from Paul Allen’s collection at Christie’s will feature a diverse range of historic computers, artifacts, and memorabilia related to technology, art, and exploration. The proceeds from the auction will be donated to charitable causes, in line with Allen’s philanthropic legacy. The collection represents Allen’s passion for innovation and discovery, showcasing his impact on the worlds of technology, science, and culture. Through this auction, bidders have the opportunity to own a piece of history and contribute to furthering Allen’s vision of supporting important causes.
