Who wants a piece of Apple history? Founding documents of the company up for auction

The historic three-page document formally establishing Apple Computer Company in 1976 is set to go under the hammer, with estimates suggesting it could fetch between $2 million and $4 million. Christie’s, the renowned auction house, will include the documents in its “We the People: America at 250” sale on 23 January 2026 at Rockefeller Centre, New York.

Typed on an IBM typewriter by co-founder Ron Wayne, the original partnership agreement outlined the initial ownership structure of what would later become one of the world’s most valuable technology companies. Signed on 1 April 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne, the document allocated 45 per cent stakes to Jobs and Wozniak, with Wayne receiving the remaining 10 per cent. The faded ink signatures of all three founders are still visible, marking the legal foundation for Apple’s revolutionary journey in personal computing and consumer electronics.

Accompanying the founding contract is the documentation of Wayne’s withdrawal from the partnership just twelve days after Apple’s formation. Wayne received $800—approximately $4,500 in today’s currency—for his 10 per cent stake, plus an additional $1,500 payment. Wayne later described his decision as a cautious measure, likening the venture to a “roller coaster” he preferred not to ride. While Wayne’s stake would theoretically be worth hundreds of billions today, structural changes in Apple’s ownership over decades make direct comparisons largely symbolic.

This will not be the first time these documents have been sold. The contract previously went under the hammer in 2011 for $1.5 million, less than half of the current estimated value. Collector interest in technology artefacts, particularly those detailing the origins of industry-defining companies, has grown substantially in recent years. Other Apple memorabilia has also fetched remarkable sums, including a factory-sealed first-generation iPhone that sold for $190,000 in 2023.

Christie’s will sell the founding contract and withdrawal agreement as a single lot, allowing one bidder to acquire both documents chronicling Apple’s early days in a California garage. Part of the auction celebrating America’s 250 years of innovation and culture, these papers represent a pivotal moment in the technological transformation of modern life and are expected to attract global attention from collectors of technology history, business artifacts, and Americana.