Apple Check Signed by Steve Jobs Sells for 4,800× Its Original Value

RR Auction has announced that an Apple check signed by the company’s co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak fetched a whopping $2.4 million at auction this week. The check was for $500, meaning that it sold for 4,800× its original value.

According to RR Auction, the $500 check was issued to printed circuit board designer Howard Cantin, shortly after Jobs and Wozniak opened Apple’s first bank account. Cantin was responsible for translating Wozniak’s Apple-1 schematic into a manufacturable printed circuit board, leading to Apple’s first commercial product.

Dated March 16, 1976, the Wells Fargo check is marked « No. 1. » It was issued a few weeks before Apple Computer was officially founded on April 1, 1976.

“This is the most important financial document in Apple history, » said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction. « It captures Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s first true business transaction, and the final result shows that collectors recognized its significance above any other Apple material ever brought to market. »