The first check and the Apple-1 board were auctioned for more than $5 million

The auction with the theme “Steve Jobs and the computer revolution” organized by RR Auction ended this weekend, raising a total of more than 8.1 million USD. The focus of the event is memorabilia associated with the early business days of founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in the family garage.

The highlight is the Wells Fargo bank check number No. 1, signed on March 16, 1976. This is the first check drawn from Apple’s original bank account, before the company was founded on April 1, 1976. It had an original value of $500, which was used to pay Howard Cantin, who helped design the first motherboard for the Apple-1 computer.

At the end of the session, the check was purchased at 2.4 million USD (60 billion VND), more than 4,800 times the original value. Mr. Bobby Livingston, Executive Vice President of RR Auction, said: “This is the most important financial document in Apple history. It records the first real business transaction of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.”

Meanwhile, the Apple-1 motherboard prototype, called Celebration, also attracted attention when priced at 2.75 million USD. This is considered one of the rarest circuit boards, laying the foundation for the birth of Apple’s first personal computer line.

In addition to the two memorabilia with a total value of more than 5 million USD, many other personal items of the late CEO Steve Jobs are also sought after by collectors at high prices such as a bank statement dated March 1976 for 828,569 USD, a 1977 Apple poster sold for 659,900 USD, a wooden Apple-1 computer case from the Byte Shop reaching 254,375 USD, and a desk in Steve’s garage. Jobs pegged the price at nearly 82,000 USD and the late Apple CEO’s bow tie collection was at 113,580 USD.

Some other small items also brought in large amounts of money, such as a piece of cable from an old Apple-1 computer sold for more than 3,200 USD. Even Volkswagen car repair manuals with Steve Jobs’ autograph were successfully auctioned at nearly 8,200 USD.

According to experts, the fact that Apple is about to reach its 50th anniversary (1976-2026) has pushed the value of memorabilia related to co-founder Steve Jobs to a high level. Collectors are not just buying an object, but are owning pieces of history from one of the most valuable technology corporations in the world.