Auction of "The History of Computers" and a Rare Signature by Steve Jobs

Items related to the emergence of Apple, home computers, and video games are up for auction, ending on March 17. The most significant item in the auction titled "The Steve Jobs Revolution: Englebart, Atari, and Apple" is a check issued in July 1976 for $3,430 to purchase parts for an "Apple 1" computer, signed by the company's founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auction, which will conduct the sale, stated, "This happened before they (Apple) had any investors." He added, "The reason both signed the check is due to their agreement. Any expenses over a thousand dollars had to be approved by them, and this is the evidence." He continued, "What makes these computers and video games very special is that they are prototypes. They are very early models that are difficult to find now." He concluded by saying, "Items have been sent to us from people in Silicon Valley who were there when the entire computer revolution began." The auction includes many items associated with Jobs, including his high school photos and the job application he filled out to work at Atari. Stephen Levy, a journalist at Wired, was quoted by Reuters saying, "Steve didn’t sign many things. He didn’t like signing things. So his signature is extremely rare." The auction house stated that the items on display, including a part taken from one of the earliest video game devices, "Atari Pong," and a mouse designed by Douglas Engelbart during the 1960s, help tell the story of computer history.