Welcome to our in-depth look at the auction of Paul Allen's Living Computers Museum and Labs. This unique institution in Seattle allowed visitors to interact with vintage computing systems. Let's dive into its history, the auction details, and the reactions from the community.

Paul Allen, the late Microsoft co-founder, opened the Living Computers Museum + Labs in 2012. It featured a collection of vintage computing technology that visitors could interact with and use.

The museum was unique in that it allowed visitors to engage with the technology in a hands-on manner, rather than simply viewing static displays.

Unfortunately, the museum closed in February 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, initially intended as a temporary measure.

Now, let's explore the details of the auction.

The estate of Paul Allen has decided to auction off the museum's entire inventory, including over 150 items, through Christie's.

One of the notable items is a Digital Equipment Corporation PDP-10 from 1971, the first computer that Allen and Bill Gates ever used prior to founding Microsoft.

Other notable items include a 1939 letter from Albert Einstein to US President Franklin Roosevelt and astronaut Ed White's spacesuit.

A vintage Apple I computer that once sat in Steve Jobs' office is also up for auction.

The auction is expected to raise significant funds, with the Einstein letter estimated to sell for between $4-6 million.

The decision to auction off the museum's collection has sparked various reactions and concerns.

"The acquisition aligns with our existing Vintage Systems program which provides our membership access to a variety of historical operating systems, architectures, programming language tools and software. We hope to continue to expand this offering as we believe understanding computing's past, especially the esoteric, helps us create better software and user experiences for the future." - SDF.org, 2024

"I'm sure they are expecting a huge payout here as well. Understandable but sad nonetheless." - GauntletWizard, 2024

"It just seems like from an ethical position they might offer sentimental items for return to where they came from instead of just auctioning everything." - Bob Powell, 2024

Let's take a look at the timeline of events leading up to the auction.

2012: The Living Computers Museum + Labs is opened by Paul Allen.

2018: Paul Allen passes away.

2020: The museum closes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2022: The first tranche of Allen's art collection is sold off for $1.62 billion.

2024: The estate announces the permanent closure of the museum and the auction of its inventory.

In conclusion, the auction of Paul Allen's Living Computers Museum and Labs marks the end of an era for vintage computing enthusiasts. While the auction will raise significant funds for charitable causes, the loss of this unique educational resource is deeply felt by many.