Historic Apple Artifacts Fetch Over $8 Million at Auction
In a remarkable event celebrating Apple’s 50th anniversary, the Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution auction concluded with total sales exceeding $8 million. The auction featured a collection of rare artifacts from Apple’s early days, including the company’s first-ever check and a pre-production Apple-1 prototype motherboard.
The highlight of the auction was a check dated March 16, 1976, made out to Howard Cantin for $500. This check, considered the earliest known financial document from Apple’s original bank account, sold for an impressive $2,409,886. Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction, emphasized its significance, stating, This is the most important financial document in Apple history. It captures Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s first true business transaction, and the final result shows that collectors recognized its significance above any other Apple material ever brought to market.
Another standout item was a pre-production Apple-1 prototype computer, known as the Celebration board. This rare piece fetched $2,750,000. The Celebration board is believed to be among the first hand-built prototypes for the Apple-1. Appraiser Corey Cohen noted that it used higher quality components than later boards and was likely assembled by Steve Jobs or early Apple employee Daniel Kottke. The unit was dubbed Celebration because it is the only known unit to feature a pre-production circuit board.
Other notable items sold at the auction include:
– A March 1976 Wells Fargo bank statement for Apple Computer Co., which sold for $828,569.
– A 1977 Apple Computer Inc. poster personally owned by Steve Jobs, fetching $659,900.
– An Apple-1 Byte Shop wooden case owned by Steve Jobs, sold for $254,375.
– Steve Jobs’s personally owned bow ties, which garnered $113,580.
– An Apple Computer business card with a handwritten note from Jobs to his father, selling for $97,439.
– Steve Jobs’s bedroom desk from the Apple garage property, which went for $81,989.
Smaller items also attracted attention, such as a ribbon cable from an Apple-1 computer personally owned by Jobs, which sold for $3,273, and his collection of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez 8-track tapes, which fetched $6,250. Additionally, Jobs’s hand-annotated Volkswagen repair manuals sold for $8,195.
This auction underscores the enduring fascination with Apple’s history and the legacy of its co-founder, Steve Jobs. Collectors and enthusiasts continue to place immense value on artifacts from the company’s formative years, reflecting the profound impact Apple has had on technology and culture.
