> At a Glance
> – The first check Apple ever wrote-$500 to circuit-board designer Howard Cantin on March 16, 1976-heads to auction
> – Jobs’ stepbrother John Chovanec lists the desk, Dylan 8-tracks, high-school bow ties, and other childhood items
> – RR Auction expects the check to fetch about $500,000, far above the $135,261 paid for Apple check #2 last year
> – Why it matters: The sale underscores skyrocketing demand for tangible pieces of Apple’s origin story as the company turns 50
A trove of Steve Jobs ephemera-ranging from Apple’s first corporate check to the bow ties he wore in high school-will hit the block this month, offering collectors an unusually personal look at the late tech icon.
The Star Lot: Apple Check #1
Written 18 days before Apple Computer Co. was formally incorporated, the $500 Wells Fargo check is cosigned by both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. The payment funded circuit boards that became the Apple 1, bankrolled by the sale of Jobs’ Volkswagen bus and Wozniak’s HP calculator.
RR Auction, which is not naming the consignor, expects the check to command about $500,000-a leap from the $135,261 a later Apple check brought in August 2023.
Market Snapshot
| Item | Sale Date | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Apple check #2 (March 19, 1976) | Aug. 2023 | $135,261 |
| Apple check #1 (March 16, 1976) | Est. 2025 | ~$500,000 |
| Partnership agreement (April 1, 1976) | Est. 2025 | $2-4 million (Christie’s) |
From the Childhood Bedroom
When Paul Jobs died, his stepson John Chovanec inherited much of the contents of Steve’s old bedroom in the Los Altos house whose garage birthed Apple. Items consigned include:
- Jobs’ desk, drawers stuffed with Reed College notebooks and Atari design work
- Bob Dylan 8-tracks (plus one Joan Baez) that Jobs played on repeat
- A 1973 horoscope printout annotated by Jobs
- His copy of How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive
- A dozen bow ties from high school
- An early Apple poster that once hung in the family living room
Jobs told Chovanec to “just take it” when asked whether he wanted the furniture or papers. “Steve didn’t want any of this stuff,” Chovanec says.
Why Collectors Pay Premiums
Jobs’ autograph ranks among the most valuable of any public figure because he rarely signed items. Even a signed business card can reach six figures.
Bobby Livingston, RR’s executive vice president, explains the appeal:
> “People who start their own internet or engineering companies love Apple products. There’s an emotional connection between Steve Jobs and collectors.”
Collectors prize artifacts that bear both founders’ signatures. Lonnie Mimms, who previously owned Apple check #2, notes:
> “You can get anything with a Steve Wozniak signature, but Jobs is another story. The two of them together is the highest form of rarity.”
Key Takeaways
- Apple’s first check, predating the partnership agreement, highlights the company’s humble $500 origins
- Personal items from Jobs’ youth-desk, music, clothing-complement the financial documents up for sale
- Strong collector demand for dual-signed memorabilia drives record auction estimates
- The 50th anniversary of Apple amplifies interest in artifacts tied to its founding
With Christie’s also auctioning the April 1976 partnership contract-estimated at $2-4 million-the memorabilia market is poised to set new benchmarks for Silicon Valley history.
