Early Steve Jobs Apple Items Go For Big Bucks at Auction

A rare Steve Jobs-signed 1983 Apple Computer business card and a Steve Jobs-signed check to pay an early Apple phone bill went for six figures and five figures, respectively, at auction this month.

The rare circa 1983 Steve Job business card signed by the late Apple co-founder went for $181,183 at auction, according to Boston-based RR Auction.

The business card has been authenticated by well-known memorabilia grading service PSA, according to the auction listing. The card, which has a faint stain on the front and an old tape stain on the back was encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “GEM MT 10.”

The card boasts Apple’s old six-color Apple logo, and it has the company’s former address of 10495 Bandley Drive, in Cupertino, California listed in Jobs’ contact information. Jobs’ title listed on the card is “Chairman, Board of Directors.”

Highly coveted circa 1983 Apple Computer business card of Steve Jobs, which is signed neatly in black ink, “steve jobs.” The off-white card, 3.5 x 2, features the iconic ‘rainbow’ version of the Apple ‘byte’ logo and reads: “Steven Jobs, Chairman Board of Directors,” with the company’s address and contact information listed below: “10260 Bandley Drive, Cupertino, California 95014, (408) 996-1010.” In fine condition, with a faint stain on the front from an old tape stain on the back. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “GEM MT 10.”

Also auctioning for a high amount was an Apple Computer Company check signed by Steve Jobs. The $201.41 check, payable to Pacific Telephone, was dated July 8, 1976, and signed by Jobs to pay the company’s phone bill. The check has the address “770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto,” which was the first official address of Apple. The check went for $66,069.

The check carries the highest grade of “GEM Mint 10” by PSA/DNA, which means it’s in pristine condition and carries significant historical value, signifying a crucial point in the development of personal computing.

Apple Computer Company check, 6 x 3, filled out in type and signed by Jobs, “steven jobs,” payable to Pacific Telephone for $201.41, July 8, 1976. Headed “Apple Computer Company,” the check 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. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “GEM MT 10.” A desirable Jobs-signed check paying Apple Computer’s telephone bill some 31 years before the release of the first iPhone on June 29, 2007.

Several other items were included in the auction, all of which went for five figures or more:

• A sealed-in-box 4GB first-generation iPhone: $147,286
• Apple-1 signed by Steve Wozniak: $323,789
• Apple prototype mouse from 1984: $14,616
• Apple Videopad 2 Mockup prototype: $26,488
• 13 G3 iMacs: $11,229
• Two Apple Watch Hermes Series 0, which sold for $9,375 and $10,865

The items were included in an auction called the “Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution” collection. It concluded on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Steve Jobs’ autographed memorabilia makes for popular memorabilia auction fodder. In December 2023 a $4.01 Apple Computer Company check made out to Radio Shack in 1976 and signed by Jobs went for $46,063 at auction. The check had been expected to fetch upwards of $25,000.