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Apple Check Signed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak 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.

Steve Jobs Apple Check 2026 Auction
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."

Top Rated Comments

macduke Avatar
9 weeks ago
When you account for inflation, it’s about the same. /s
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 weeks ago
Despite the headline, I think the fact that it was signed by both Steves helped elevate its value.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 weeks ago
If that $500 was invested in the S&P 500 and dividends reinvested, it would be worth about $125,000 today. If you adjust for inflation it's worth only about $22,000 in 1976 dollars.

If it was invested in AAPL in 1980 with the IPO, it would be worth about $1.5 million with dividends reinvested (which means the check outpaced AAPL performance).

If instead of $500 it was a hypothetical stake in Apple when it was founded in 1976, it could be worth hundreds of billions.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 weeks ago

There's a stamp on it over the Wells Fargo Bank showing it was deposited or cashed.
Banks used to send you back all your cancelled checks each month for your records before electronic banking. I remember my parents having drawers full of checks they had written.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna5880440
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 weeks ago
I just printed it from the image. Now, I can display it in a nice case. For $15 total.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
9 weeks ago

$500 was a lot back then, who is Howard Cantin and why didn't he cash it?
There's a stamp on it over the Wells Fargo Bank showing it was deposited or cashed.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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