Exactly how many ipad pros do you think apple’s foundational document is worth? Apparently a lot. The written agreement that formalized the creation of the Apple Computer Company — as it was originally called — in 1976 is headed to auction, where it is expected to sell for up to $4 million.
As reported Apple’s expertsThe British auction house Christie’s, which has several international salesrooms, including one in New York, will auction the three-page document in early 2026. It contains the signatures of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne, as well as their respective shares in the company that would become one of the largest in the world.
Although undoubtedly a matter of historical importance, the settlement sought by the people was short-lived. When the Apple Computer Company, less than a year later, became Apple Computer, Inc., Wayne had already sold his 10 percent stake to the other co-founders.
In fact, he left the company less than two weeks after founding it, a decision he stressed he has absolutely no regrets about. BBC interview 2016, when a 10% stake in Apple would have been worth around $60 billion at the time (and probably much more today). A few months later, he received just $1,500 to transfer all of his remaining Apple shares. And to rub even more salt in the wound, Wayne ended up selling his copy of the original deal for $500, the former Atari employee said. BBC The Made Undo.
That’s why Apple’s expertsThe Apple contract, which will soon be auctioned, is worth between $2 million and $4 million and will be used in the “We the People: America at 250” auction on January 23 in New York. It won’t be the first time that an important piece of Apple’s history has been sold. In 2023, an unopened first-generation iphone sold at auction for $190,000, roughly 300 times its original price.