Paul Allen’s rare Seattle artifacts shatter auction expectations, bring in over $10M
The first auction of Paul Allen’s prized collection of historical artifacts, "Pushing Boundaries: Ingenuity from the Paul G. Allen Collection," concluded on Tuesday with impressive results, securing $10,253,500 in sales.
The auction, held by Christie's in New York, featured 36 items that celebrated milestones in science, technology and exploration, aligning with Allen's passions and philanthropic vision.
A standout sale at the auction was an Apple-1 personal computer, which sold for $945,000, far exceeding its estimated value of $500,000 to $800,000.
The auction also highlighted other significant items such as Albert Einstein’s 1939 letter to President Franklin D. Roosevelt which sold for $3,922,000, and played a pivotal role in the development of the nuclear age, along with astronaut Ed White’s spacesuit (for $50,400) from the first American spacewalk, and the pilot’s logbook from Apollo 8 (for $277,200), the first human spaceflight to reach the moon.
These artifacts are part of Allen's larger collection known as "Gen One: Innovations from the Paul G. Allen Collection," which is divided into three parts representing his interests in computing, science and space exploration. Proceeds from the auction will go to philanthropic causes, in line with Allen's wishes.
The auction drew considerable attention, with collectors and enthusiasts eager to acquire a piece of Allen’s legacy. Despite the success of the auction, the decision to sell the artifacts has not been without controversy. Local fans, supporters and previous donors to the now-closed Living Computer Museum + Labs in Seattle had expressed disappointment, hoping that the items would remain in the region.
Two additional auctions are scheduled, including one focused on the history of computing and another on space exploration. The upcoming sales are expected to feature notable items such as a Cray-2 supercomputer, early Microsoft memos and a Saturn 1-B rocket model.
As more artifacts go up for sale, Allen’s vision of advancing knowledge and innovation continues to inspire.
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