The US government may have filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Apple, but in the minds of Apple fans, Apple's reputation remains golden and impeccable. .
This is especially true in the case of the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. This point was reiterated at Boston-based RR Auction's recent sale titled “Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution” held on March 21st.
There were six sections bearing Jobs' signature. Two sold for his six figures. The first, a 1983 business card featuring a rainbow version of Apple's Byte logo, sold for $181,183, beating its modest estimate of $10,000.
The second is a check made in 1976 from Wells Fargo to Elmer Electronics for $176,850, before Apple was officially founded and probably before the Apple-1 prototype was funded. In dollar terms, it was more than three times the estimated amount.
“The sale of Steve Jobs' autographed Apple business card for over $180,000 sets a new standard for autographed business cards,” said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auctions. “This is a testament to Jobs' enduring legacy and Apple's tremendous impact on the modern world.”
John Hancock's other works include: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Ticket stubs ($14,653), a $200 check ($66,069) to Pacific Telephone, which used a Palo Alto garage as its address, and a job to Caroline Rose, who worked for the company for 15 years as a writer and editor. offer ($17,706). Her letter read above her signature, “I accept this insanely awesome offer!!!” and “insanely awesome” is her famous Jobsism.
Apple-1 computer signed by Steve Wozniak. Photo: RR Auction.
In addition to Jobs, the auction featured many other pieces that tell the story of how Apple became America's most valuable company. Chief among them was his fully functional Apple-1 board, signed by co-founder Steve Wozniak. This personal computer tagged computer number 100 was one of the first computers that did not require soldering by the end user. Sold for $323,789.
Although there have been functional versions of Apple's personal computers dating back to the early 1980s, the two lots that received considerable attention involved inventions that never made it to market. The first was his 1997 prototype of Apple's eMate 300, a teal-colored touchscreen laptop designed with the education market in mind. It sold for $8,529. The second was a prototype for the Apple Videopad 2, widely seen as the iPad's predecessor.
Apple eMate 300 prototype, Apple's only touchscreen laptop. Photo: RR Auction.
As always, sealed original iPhones were one of the best-selling lots. The 4G model was priced at $147,286. How much does the similarly clean 8G version cost? $25,000.
In recent years, early Apple products and Jobs memorabilia have become their own auction category. Turtlenecks, leather jackets, and Birkenstocks previously worn by Jobs have been put up for auction in recent years. Last year, a similar sale of his Apple Nostalgia items at RR Auctions brought in about 40 items and sold for more than $500,000.
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