Apple Computer Check Signed by Steve Jobs Expected to Fetch More Than $25,000 at Auction

Steve Jobs memorabilia and remnants from Apple's early days tend to fetch high prices from collectors, and a check to RadioShack signed by Jobs is no exception. Up for auction this week, the check is expected to fetch more than $25,000.

steve jobs check
The check, which is from Apple Computer Company, was filled out by Jobs on July 23, 1976. It is made out for $4.01 and signed "Steven Jobs." The address on the check is the answering service and mail drop off point that Steve Jobs used while Apple was being run out of his parents' garage.

A fascinating check related to one of the great unsung heroes of the early computer boom: RadioShack. The biggest tech innovations of the 20th century are all, in varying degrees, indebted to the Boston-based electronics store. Steve Wozniak, who spent hours roaming the aisles of RadioShack as a teenager, saved up enough money to purchase their pioneering TRS-80 Micro Computer System, which he used to build his notorious 'blue box,' an illegal device that could make free long-distance phone calls. The 'blue box' cemented the first business partnership between Wozniak and Jobs, a duo that managed to make and sell roughly 200 of the boxes for $150 each. Jobs later told his biographer that if it had not been for Wozniak's blue boxes, 'there wouldn't have been an Apple.' In other words: there wouldn't have been an Apple if it had not been for RadioShack.

When the check was written, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were working on the Apple-1 computer. 50 of the machines were manufactured and sold to The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, and approximately 200 Apple-1 computers were made in all.

At the time of writing, there have been 21 bids on the check, and the total is up to $22,444. The auction ends on December 6.

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

EightBitJoe Avatar
17 months ago
The claim that Woz used a TRS-80 to help him build the blue box doesn’t gibe with history. The TRS-80 Model I came out the same year as the Apple II, well after the blue box adventure was over.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Legend of Ive Avatar
17 months ago
If you use the account the number on the check, you can fetch all of Apple's 200 billion cash pile
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Shirasaki Avatar
17 months ago
Ah RadioShack.

I was not born in US but I can resonate with the sentiment, since in where I live similar stores did exist, albeit in a far smaller scale.

As for this cheque, uhh, ok, many many people definitely have more disposable income than sense.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Morky Avatar
17 months ago
There was no TRS-80 in 1976, or any consumer PC you could buy other than an Altair.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
klasma Avatar
17 months ago

Why is he using a small j for Jobs?.... I love the guy.... but that's just weird.....
He anticipated the trend of people not using their shift key anymore 40 years ahead of time. What a visionary!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PlainBelliedSneetch Avatar
17 months ago

It’s funny that the number at the bottom right also shows 401.
I think that gets added when the check is processed by the banking system.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)