Jobs' Signed '5000 Won' Check Fetches 40 Million Won at Auction

by Lim Juhyeong

Published 06 Dec.2023 12:10(KST)

May Increase Further Before Auction Ends

A check for $4.01 (about 5,000 won) signed by Apple founder Steve Jobs in 1976 went up for auction, with the winning bid reaching approximately 40 million won.

According to local media including Business Insider on the 5th (local time), a $4.01 check issued by 'Apple Computer Company' (now Apple) was featured in an auction hosted by auction house RR Auction.

This check was sent to the electronics retail company 'RadioShack.' What sets it apart from ordinary checks is that it was personally signed by Jobs. Business Insider explained, "Jobs was known for not signing autographs." The identity of the person who submitted the check has not been disclosed.

Check signed by Jobs [Image source=RR Auction]

At the time the check was written, Jobs was assembling the 'Apple 1' PC kit with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. This product was the first collaboration between Jobs and Wozniak.

RR Auction described it as "an interesting check related to RadioShack, one of the unsung heroes of the early computer boom," adding, "The greatest technological innovations of the 20th century, to varying degrees, were influenced by this electronics retailer headquartered in Boston."

They continued, "Wozniak spent his teenage years roaming RadioShack stores, where he created the 'blue box,' a device that used computer systems to make illegal long-distance calls," and added, "Jobs later recalled to his biographer, 'Without the blue box, there would be no Apple.'"

They emphasized, "Without RadioShack, there would be no Apple."

A total of 25 bidders participated in this auction, which will close on the 7th local time. The current bid stands at $30,250 (about 40 million won). However, since there is still time before the auction ends, the bid price may rise further.