Lot #5088

Steve Jobs Filled Out and Signed 'Apple Computer Company' Check to Elmar Electronics (July 16, 1976)

Description

Pristine Apple Computer check to Elmar Electronics, handwritten and signed by Steve Jobs in July 1976—the debut of the Apple-1

Early Apple Computer Company check, 6 x 3, filled out in black felt tip and signed by Jobs, "steven jobs," payable to Elmar Electronics for $10.52, July 16, 1976. Headed "Apple Computer Company," the check uses Apple's first official address at "770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto"—the location of the answering service and mail drop that they used while still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage. In very fine condition.

During this period in the summer of 1976, just a few months after founding the Apple Computer Company, Jobs and Wozniak were hard at work building their first product. In March 1976, Wozniak had completed work on an innovative microcomputer design—now known as the Apple-1 Computer—and Jobs suggested that they sell it. Based on the early date, this check for $10.52 to Elmar Electronics—an electronics distribution house with locations in Palo Alto and Mountain View, California—likely represents payment for component parts affiliated with the production of early Apple-1 systems. Elmar was also offering microcomputer courses and seminars at the time, on subjects including Intel memory, the Motorola 6800 processor, and microprocessor programming.

Though initially conceived as a kit to be soldered together by the end user—like most enthusiast computers of the era—the Apple-1 became a finished product at the behest of Paul Terrell, owner of The Byte Shop in Mountain View, California, one of the first personal computer stores in the world. Terrell offered to buy 50 of the computers—at a wholesale price of $500 a piece, to retail at $666.66—but only if they came fully assembled. With this request, Terrell aimed to elevate the computer from the domain of the hobbyist/enthusiast to the realm of the mainstream consumer. Wozniak later placed Terrell's purchase order in perspective: 'That was the biggest single episode in all of the company's history. Nothing in subsequent years was so great and so unexpected.'

Thus, the Apple-1 was one of the first completely assembled 'personal' computers that simply worked out of the box with a few accessories that could be purchased from a local electronics store (a power supply, case, keyboard, and monitor were not included). Altogether, over a span of 10 months or so, Jobs and Wozniak produced about 200 Apple-1 computers and sold 175 of them. A superb check signed by the innovative personal computing pioneer.

Auction Info

• Auction Title: Remarkable Rarities
• Dates: September 04, 2024 - September 28, 2024

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