You will soon have a chance to own a unique slice of Apple history, though it could cost you more than 1,000 new MacBook Pros.
As PCMag reports, Apple’s founding papers, which created the Apple Computer Company in 1976, could fetch as much as $4 million at a new auction. The papers are signed by Apple founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne, who received 45%, 45%, and 10% stakes, respectively.
Who is Ron Wayne?
If you haven’t heard of Ron Wayne, it’s because he is reported to have sold his Apple stake for $800 just 12 days after putting the papers together. He got another $1,500 payment roughly a year later, but never returned to the company.
Had Wayne retained his entire 10% stake, it could be worth as much as $400 billion today at current market valuations, though issues like stock issuances make numbers hard to estimate. Wayne has said that he has never regretted his decision, saying that the stress of working for Apple in its early days could have driven him to an early grave.
Auction at Christie’s in January
The auction, first spotted by South Korea’s Arirang News, is set to take place at Christie’s auction house on Jan. 23, 2026, with an estimated valuation of between $2 million and $4 million.
Though scooping up this valuable piece of Apple history likely won’t generate as much as an early investment in Apple itself, the estimated price for the papers is much higher than when they were auctioned off in 2011 for $1.6 million.
Vintage Apple collectibles have fetched eye-popping prices before. A prototype Apple I, thought to possibly be the first Apple computer ever, sold for $815,000 (£618,000) in 2016. Another one sold for $677,000 in 2022. Meanwhile, much newer Apple products are already reaching classic status. A factory-sealed, first-generation Apple iPhone 4GB from 2007 sold for $190,000 in August 2023, slightly higher than its original $500 sale price.
Some less obvious Apple memorabilia has also commanded high prices; a suit worn by Steve Jobs in the iconic “1984” Macintosh commercial went up for auction in June 2024, and ultimately fetched $29,000. Someone also paid $200,000 for Jobs’ old Birkenstocks.
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