Apple-1 Ad Handwritten by Steve Jobs Sells for Over $175,000 - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple-1 Ad Handwritten by Steve Jobs Sells for Over $175,000

An Apple-1 advertisement that was written by Steve Jobs recently sold for $175,759 at an auction hosted by RR Auction. The ad is a rough draft with specifications for the Apple-1 machine, along with information on the details that Jobs wanted to include.

steve jobs ad apple 1
"Board only + manual, $75. A real deal" reads a part of the advertisement that Jobs wrote out. Jobs' signature is included, and the address listed is his parents' house, which is where Apple started out.

The handwritten draft matches the original advertisement for the Apple-1, with the first ad published in the July 1976 edition of Interface Magazine. The ad is accompanied by two Polaroid photos of Apple-1 machines taken at The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California. Jobs annotated one of the images, noting that it was "fuzzy because camera wiggled."

The ad copy was put up for sale by a close friend of Steve Jobs that was present during the Apple-1's developmental phase. He was gifted the items as cherished keepsakes.

apple 1 computer domain
Separately, an operational Apple-1 Computer signed by Steve Wozniak sold for $223,520, and a 1976 Apple Computer check signed by Jobs and Wozniak sold for $135,261.

Tag: Apple-1

Popular Stories

hatfield apple 1

Rare Working Apple-1 Could Fetch $800,000 at Auction

Wednesday September 2, 2026 2:02 pm PDT by
An original Apple–1 Computer could sell for between $500,000 and $800,000 when it is auctioned off this October. There are fewer than 75 Apple–1 Computers known to exist, and a smaller number that are operational. The "Hatfield" Apple–1 is number 48 on the Apple–1 registry, and it is in working condition. The machine was purchased by Fred Hatfield, a computer enthusiast and employee ...
iOS 27 Next to iPhone

Here's When iOS 27 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone [Update: It's Out]

Sunday September 13, 2026 3:00 am PDT by
Update 10:04 a.m.: iOS 27 is rolling out now, though it may take a bit for all users to see it, so keep checking! Apple is about to release iOS 27, which will finally deliver more advanced Siri AI capabilities as well as a variety of other refinements, improvements, and new features to iPhones. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and Apple announced at Wednesday's iPhone event...
iOS 27 Icon iPhone

iOS 27 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday September 14, 2026 9:00 am PDT by
Update — 10 a.m. Pacific Time: Apple has released iOS 27. During its iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo event last week, Apple announced that iOS 27 will be released widely on Monday, September 14. iOS 27 should be available around 10 a.m. Pacific Time / 1 p.m. Eastern Time today via the Settings app, under General → Software Update. Below, we have highlighted eight new features and...

Top Rated Comments

Pakaku Avatar
40 months ago
I like the irony in a paper that says “$75, a real deal” selling for over 2.4k times that amount
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
can you guys imagine how much a Steve Jobs hand written memo would fetch if it said the following :

“You’re holding it wrong.”

I’d throw in a bid!
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago

People with too much money out doing other people with too much money.

Enjoy that $175,759 piece of paper!
This paper is likely a better long-term investment than Bitcoin. It is very rare. Jobs is never going to write another first advertisement.

But will it hold value? 100 years from now, no one will be alive who remembers Steve Jobs. Jobs will be a historic figure, not a memory. Does this make the paper more or less valuable? The paper is an investment, but not one without risk. It might go up by a factor of ten or could lose most of its value.

How much would you pay today for a memo written and signed by Herman Hollerith? Herman Hollerith was arguably even more important in the history of founding computer companies than was Steve Jobs. Herman Hollerith invented the very idea of modern computing, Job only took an existing idea and run with it.

In 200 years, Jobs and Hollerith might be seen as peers and known only to historians.

BTW, Herman Hollerith, invented the punched card and data processing in the 1880s and founded a company called "IBM". He got his "big break" by winning a contact from the US Government to process US Census data and recalculate congressional districts, among other things. I think this was the 1890 census, Then 90 years later in 1981 his company released the "IBM PC" and invented personal computing. Today's tower PCs still look like the old 1980s PC turned to stand on one side.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vegetassj4 Avatar
40 months ago
Wow, an engineering pad (paper) ('https://www.amazon.com/NATIONAL-Brand-Computation-Sheets-42389/dp/B0017TMB64/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2T3TAID4SK5XT&keywords=engineering%2Bpaper%2Bnational%2Bbrand&qid=1692987213&sprefix=engineering%2Bpaper%2Bna%2Caps%2C93&sr=8-5&th=1')...brings back the good ole undergrad days.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago

This paper is likely a better long-term investment than Bitcoin. It is very rare. Jobs is never going to write another first advertisement.

But will it hold value? 100 years from now no one will be alive who remembers Steve Jobs. Jobs will be a historic figure, not a memory. Does this make the paper more or less valuable? The paper is an investment but not one without risk. It might go up by a factor of ten or could loose most of its value.

Ok Ok relax it was a social commentary and joke. No need to write a dissertation. I am well aware. :)
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
40 months ago
You know we've come a long way when the unit used is "bytes".
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors