Apple-1 Handwritten Ad by Steve Jobs Sells for Rs 1.44 Crore at Auction

We’ve seen old Apple devices like first-generation iPhones and iPods fetch substantial sums at auction. However, it is rare to come across ads – especially handwritten ones – that sell for $1,75,000 or Rs 1.44 crore. It was for this amount that the Apple ad written by Steve Jobs was sold at the RR auction.

As discovered by MacRumors, the ad showcases the details and features of the Apple-1 computer, along with additional information that Steve Jobs wanted to include. “Board + manual only, $75. The real deal,” Steve Jobs mentioned in the ad. The ad sketch features Steve Jobs’ signature and also includes his parents’ address, where Apple started.

MacRumors further notes that this ad draft corresponds to the first print ad for the Apple-1, which was featured in the July 1976 edition of Interface magazine. Additionally, as part of the auction, the RR auction included two Polaroid photos of Apple, with Jobs’ note saying, “Blurry (photo) due to camera shake”.

For those unfamiliar, the Apple 1 was an 8-bit desktop computer designed by Apple and released on April 11, 1976. It is known that both Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs sold their valuables to finance this project. The computer had a starting price of $666.66 and had a MOS6502 processor clocked at 1 MHz. Notably, this desktop computer was discontinued on September 30, 1977 – a few months after Apple introduced the Apple-2.

In recent years, old Apple devices have fetched considerable prices at auctions, which benefits both the auction houses and the owners of these devices. In 2019, an Apple 1 computer, originally sold in 1976, was auctioned for a whopping £3,71,000, which is around 3.8 million rupees in today’s currency conversions.

Also, this year, the first-generation sealed iPhone was sold for $63,356 (approx. Rs. 53 lakh). This further shows how much brand value Apple has managed to build and how vintage Apple products are still in demand among collectors.