Collectors have proven avid fans of Steve Jobs memorabilia over the years, and a new piece seems likely to attract significant interest. It’s an 8th-grade science fair project with two demonstration circuits – and a warning note from Steve to his teachers.
It’s remained at the Jobs family property in Los Altos ever since, but is now one of more than 200 items in an Apple 50th anniversary auction …
Apple celebrated its 50th anniversary this year, and RR Auctions marked the event with a two-part auction entitled Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution: The Apple 50th Anniversary Auction. Part one saw the first ever check issued by the company sell for a staggering $2.4 million.
Part two includes the science fair project.
Dated Feb. 29, 1968, “What Is the Silicon-Controlled Rectifier?” includes a 32-inch plywood display with two demonstration circuits, a 10-page report, and Jobs’ hand-drawn circuit diagrams. He even left instructions telling the judges how to operate the exhibit—and reminding them twice to unplug it afterward.
The warning note likely reflects the risk of the circuit burning out if it were left running for too long. At the time of writing, online bids sit below $3,000, but we can certainly expect that to change.
There’s also a fully-functional early Apple 1.
Leading the auction is the fully functional ‘Neumark’ Apple-1 Computer, a remarkably original 1977 system from the second batch of 50 Apple-1 computers produced and sold […] The accompanying archive documents the machine as an actively used personal computer during Apple’s earliest years.
And a development prototype of the original iPod.
Among the auction’s rarest development artifacts is the Apple P68 ‘Stealth iPod’ Development Prototype. Developed by Apple’s Special Projects Group during creation of the original iPod, the oversized engineering enclosure concealed the product’s final dimensions while engineers refined its hardware and software ahead of its public introduction in October 2001. Preserved by original iPod team program manager Jim Dumont, the prototype is accompanied by an extensive archive documenting the culture and milestones of Apple’s original iPod engineering team.
You can check out all of the auction lots here.
- Certified refurbished Apple products 15% off at apple.com
- Official Apple Store on Amazon
- Discounted AirPods Pro 3
- Wireless CarPlay adapter
- 10-year AirTag battery case
- Logitech MX Master 4 for Mac