Apple’s very first cheque signed by Steve Jobs heads to auction, may fetch $1 million

Steve Jobs

• Apple's 50th anniversary auction features rare items from its early days
• Steve Jobs' first Apple check, signed in 1976, is the star attraction
• Auction includes Apple-1 prototype, Jobs' desk, and early financial documents

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As Apple prepares to turn 50 on April 1, 2026, the spotlight is shifting from shiny new devices to the company’s very modest beginnings. Half a century after Apple was founded in a California garage, collectors and tech history enthusiasts are now bidding on some of the most intimate and rarely seen objects from its early days. At the centre of it all is a small piece of paper that tells a very big story. Steve Jobs’ “Check No. 1”.

The auction, hosted by RR Auctions and titled Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution: The Apple 50th Anniversary Auction, brings together nearly 200 items linked to Apple’s formative years and the personal life of its iconic co-founder Steve Jobs. Many of these items have already crossed their expected price tags, showing just how strong the fascination with Apple’s origin story remains.

The star attraction is Apple Check No. 1, dated March 16, 1976. Signed by both Jobs and Steve Wozniak, the check was issued to Howard Cantin, who designed the Apple-1 circuit board. What makes it even more special is that it predates Apple’s official founding by a few weeks. The check, made out for 500 dollars, is estimated to fetch half a million dollars and has already drawn bids well into six figures.

Another cheque on display tells a quieter but equally important story. A 125 dollar payment made to early investor Elmer Baum represents the repayment of a loan that helped Apple take its first steps. Jobs later admitted that without that early support, the company might never have survived.

The auction also includes what is believed to be Apple’s earliest financial document. A Wells Fargo bank statement from March 1976 shows the company’s first deposits and its earliest expenses. It offers a rare glimpse into how Apple functioned before it became a global giant.

Hardware collectors are eyeing the Apple-1 prototype, a simple fiberglass board used to test the machine that started it all. There is also something far more personal. Steve Jobs’ bedroom desk from the famous Apple garage. Covered in old manuals, Atari papers and a wage slip from 1971, the desk feels less like a museum piece and more like a frozen moment in time.

The collection is rounded out with unexpected touches, including Jobs’ 8-track tapes of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, early Apple posters and even bow ties from his childhood home.

As Apple celebrates 50 years, this auction feels less like a sale and more like a tribute. It reminds the world that one of the biggest companies on the planet began with handwritten cheques, borrowed money and a belief that small ideas could change everything.