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Christie's flogs off the history of IT
Grab a bit of Babbage or snap up some of Cerf

By Jo Best

Published: Wednesday 02 February 2005

Auction house Christie's is holding a sale of computing history.

Among the pieces that will be going under the hammer in the 'Origins of Cyberspace' sale will be first editions of works from the father of the computer, Charles Babbage. For around $15,000, bidders can get their hands on 'A letter to Sir Humphry Davy, Bart... on the application of machinery to the purpose of calculating and printing mathematical tables' first published in 1822, where Babbage explains the details of his Difference Engine.

Bidders with a bigger wallet, however, can get their hands on a more modern treasure, J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly's Outline of plans for development of electronic computers, which the Christie's catalogue describes as "the founding document in the electronic computer industry". Expect to pay between $50,000 and $70,000 for the privilege of owning it.

Other lots include Edmund C. Berkeley's Giant brains or machines that think, expected to fetch between $20,000 and $30,000, and Karel Capek's Rossum's Universal Robots from 1920, for up to $20,000.

However, for anyone wanting to pick up something by a familiar name, one of Vint Cerf's articles A protocol for packet network intercommunication from the 1970s is up for grabs - and expected to reach up to $3,000.

The sale will take place in the New York office of Christie's on 23 February.