Although Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died more than a decade ago, his presence still looms large in the fandom around tech, making ordinary items that are signed by him very valuable. The proof is in the pudding: An early Apple business card signed by Jobs just sold for $181,183 at auction.
The signed business card, which is estimated to be from around 1983, is one of six items signed by Jobs that was offered in the “Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution” auction, organized by the company RR Auction, that ended on Thursday. The business card fetched the most money out of all the items related to Jobs and is one of only five business cards signed by the late tech titan from any period with authentication, according to RR Auction.
“The sale of the Steve Jobs-signed Apple business card for over $180,000 sets a new standard in autographed business cards. It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Jobs and the profound impact of Apple on our modern world,” Bobby Livingston, an executive vice president at RR Auction, said in a press release.
In terms of sale prices, the business card was followed closely by a check signed by Jobs from 1976, which went for $176,850.
The check is notable because it pre-dates Apple’s official founding by nearly two weeks. At the time it was written out, or March 19, 1976, it looks like Apple hadn’t received personalized checks yet. To remedy this, Jobs handwrote “Apple Computer” as the company name at the top left of the check. The address included on the check is that of the famous “Apple Garage” in Palo Alto, which is where legend states the company was founded.
All items signed by Jobs, as well as a business card from the 1980s and a promotional poster that were unsigned, were sold.
While the Jobs-related items were in many cases predictable, there were some that appeared to be random until you got the full story. One of them included a movie ticket for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl in 2003 that was signed by Jobs.
The former Apple CEO was notoriously known for refusing requests to sign autographs, but in this case, decided to grant the wish of a fan who encountered him at the movie theater with his family. The fan didn’t have any paper, so he gave Jobs the movie ticket to sign. It sold for $14,653.
Another fun item was a letter of employment Jobs sent to an applicant when he was the CEO of Next in 1986, where he said: “If you’re as good as you tell us you are (and we expect), your salary will increase.”
Click through to see photos of all the Jobs-related memorabilia sold at the auction.