Apple founder Steve Jobs was known for rarely giving autographs to anyone. And this rarity of acquiring Jobs’s signature has driven up the value of his memorabilia, with a recent auction of his signed cheque expected to fetch over $25,000, equivalent to approximately Rs 20 Lakh. The cheque, drawn on the account of Apple Computer Company and dated July 23, 1976, bears the authentic signature of Steve Jobs.
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Being auctioned by the RR Auction firm in the USA is a cheque signed by Steve Jobs, with a value of $4.01 roughly Rs 333. This payment was directed towards the answering service and mail drop-off location employed by Jobs during the early stages of Apple’s development when it operated from his parents’ garage.
According to the auction house, the cheque was written during the time when Jobs and his co-founder Steve Wozniak were working on the Apple-1 computer. Only 50 of these hand-built computers were ever made, and they were sold to The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California. Notably, The Apple-1 is considered to be one of the most important early personal computers, and it helped to pave the way for Apple’s future success.
Detailing more about the of Apple’s history, the auction details further reveal that the cheque is from Apple Computer Company, measuring 6 x 3 inches, completed and endorsed by Steve Jobs under the name “Steven Jobs.” Dated July 23, 1976, the cheque is made out to Radio Shack for $4.01.
“Headed “Apple Computer Company,” the cheque uses Apple’s first official address at “770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto”—the location of an answering service and mail drop that they used while still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage. In very fine condition,” reads the details.
The pages of history suggest that in April 1976, just three months before Steve Jobs signed this cheque using the name Steven instead of Steve, Apple was founded.
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The cheque is made out to Radio Shack, a company that played a significant role in the development of computer systems at the time. Prior to Apple’s inception, Jobs and Wozniak collaborated on a device known as the “Blue Box,” designed to make unauthorised long-distance calls. Wozniak employed a Radio Shack computer system in 1972 to create the device. Jobs subsequently handled the marketing efforts, and they shared the profits from their invention. The friendship between Jobs and Wozniak originated during their summer employment at HP.
As a teenager, Wozniak spent a considerable amount of time at Radio Shack and saved up to purchase their TRS-80 Micro Computer System. On April 1, 1976, Jobs and Wozniak officially founded Apple Computer, Inc. Jobs successfully transformed Wozniak’s invention into a company valued at $500 million in the 1980s.
While the company has risen to the status of the top tech name globally, memorabilia associated with Apple’s devices or its founder, Steve Jobs, have become valuable collectables for fans and collectors alike. For instance, a handwritten Apple-1 advertisement by Jobs was auctioned by the Boston-based RR Auction, fetching $175,759. Additionally, another signed typed letter sold for over $450,000 USD, where Jobs expressed, “I write, but I’m afraid I don’t sign autographs.” Another handwritten letter by a young Steve Jobs was sold for $300,000 by the British auction house Bonhams.
Meanwhile, regarding the cheque signed by Steve Jobs, as of this writing, there have been 23 bids on the cheque, with the total reaching $25,000. The auction will conclude on December 6.
