Apple’s 1976 founding contract to be auctioned for up to $4M

The original 1976 partnership agreement that founded Apple Computer Company, signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne, will be auctioned by Christie’s on January 23, 2026, with an estimated value of $2 million to $4 million9to5mac.

The three-page contract established ownership stakes of 45% each for Jobs and Wozniak and 10% for Wayne, who withdrew just 12 days later for $800 due to concerns about personal financial liability—a stake that would theoretically be worth $409 billion today9to5mac.

The documents previously sold at Sotheby’s in 2011 for nearly $1.6 million, and if the current estimate holds, this could become the most expensive Apple collectible ever sold9to5mac.

Apple’s 1976 Founding Contract Heads to Auction for Up to $4 Million

The original three-page partnership agreement that created Apple Computer Company on April 1, 1976, is returning to the auction block, where Christie’s expects it to fetch between $2 million and $4 million when it goes under the hammer on January 23, 2026.9to5mac

The historic document, signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and the lesser-known third co-founder Ronald Wayne, establishes their initial ownership stakes at 45%, 45%, and 10% respectively. The lot also includes papers documenting Wayne’s swift exit just 12 days later, when he received $800 to relinquish his share—a decision that cost him what would theoretically be worth around $409 billion today, based on Apple’s current market capitalization of approximately $4.1 trillion.macrumors

From Garage Startup to Tech Giant

Wayne, then 41 years old and working at Atari alongside Jobs, was brought on as the “adult in the room” to provide administrative oversight and mediate disputes between the two younger founders. He drafted the original partnership agreement on his IBM typewriter and designed the company’s first logo depicting Isaac Newton beneath an apple tree.artnet

But Wayne’s concerns about personal financial liability proved overwhelming. Unlike Jobs and Wozniak, who had few assets at the time, Wayne owned a house and car, making him vulnerable if the fledgling venture collapsed. He later received an additional $1,500 to fully sever ties with Apple.fortune

A Document’s Journey Through History

This isn’t the first time these founding papers have captivated collectors. The same documents sold at Sotheby’s in December 2011 for $1,594,500 to Eduardo Cisneros, CEO of Cisneros Corporation—more than ten times the pre-auction estimate of $100,000 to $150,000. Christie’s has not confirmed whether Cisneros remains the current owner.apl2bits

Adding another layer of irony to Wayne’s story, he sold his personal copy of the founding contract for just $500 in the early 1990s.macrumors

The auction will be part of Christie’s “We the People: America at 250” sale, commemorating the nation’s 250th anniversary. Another highlight includes a rare draft of the U.S. Constitution with handwritten notes by founding father Rufus King, estimated at $3 million to $5 million.artnet

Apple memorabilia has commanded increasingly spectacular prices in recent years. An Apple-1 computer sold for $845,000 in September 2024, while a first-generation sealed iPhone fetched $190,373 in 2023.christies