Steve Jobs auction lots include a signed PowerBook and an Apple-1
- feb
- 26
"I realized a while ago that most of this stuff was just sitting in a closet, unappreciated and unknown by anyone except me..."
What you need to know
- Several items of Steve Jobs memorabilia are going up for auction in March.
- Lots include a PowerBook signed by Steve Jobs and an original Apple-1 computer.
- The items are being sold by former Apple designer Jerry Manock.
A Steve Jobs auction set to take place in March includes a PowerBook signed by Steve Jobs and an original Apple-1 computer.
As reported by Cult of Mac:
A treasure trove of Steve Jobs-related goods is going under the hammer in an upcoming March auction titled, well, The Steve Jobs Auction. Organized by RR Auctions, the lot consists of various Apple-related items. These include a PowerBook signed by Jobs, an original Apple-1 computer, and an incredibly rare Apple II document signed by Jobs, previously belonging to Apple's first industrial designer Jerry Manock.
According to their report, Executive VP of RR Auction, Bobby Livingston said:
"The public sees Steve Jobs as the icon of the current computer age..."
A signed item like the PowerBook is worth even more than usual because Steve Jobs was a "reluctant" signer. The items were owned by former Apple designer Jerry Manock:
Livingston said his personal favorite item in the upcoming auction is a 1977 contract with Jerry Manock. Manock is the father of Apple industrial design. The contract is to design a shell for the Apple II. Manock's price for doing that was a mere $270, the equivalent of $1,150 today. The document features Jobs' signature. The Apple II wound up being Apple's first mass-market machine — and the computer which made Apple a success.
When asked why he was selling them Manock said:
"I realized a while ago that most of this stuff was just sitting in a closet, unappreciated and unknown by anyone except me... I decided that I wanted to pass on the unknown 'value' to my children and grandchildren before I exit with a capital E. Thus they will inherit a copy of the catalog with a description of each item, and have a 2020 [monetary] representation of the industry's perceived value of my contribution to Apple."
The Apple-1 computer is said to be one of only a handful of working models in existence, in 2014 one was auctioned in New York City for $910,000.