Charles Darwin letter, early Apple computer in auction of unique pieces of science history

A letter by Charles Darwin on the sex life of barnacles and a vintage Apple computer are among the unusual pieces of science history going up for auction in New York later this month.

Buyers at the Oct. 22 auction at Bonhams will need deep pockets. The 1976 Apple 1 computer, one of 50 built in Steve Jobs' garage in 1976, is estimated to bring $300,000 to $500,000.

For something really exotic, potential buyers can also fork over an estimated $150,000 to $250,000 for a 1,500-pound viewing window that protected scientists working on the Manhattan Project to produce the first atomic bombs during World War II.

There's also the earliest electric keyboard — a 1905 sound synthesizer — with a pre-sale estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.