Apple’s original founding papers set for auction at $4 million

Apple’s original company creation papers, the three-page contract that formally established Apple Computer Company in 1976, are set to go under the hammer next year and could sell for as much as $4 million. The document, signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne, laid the foundation for what would go on to become one of the world’s most valuable technology firms. Christie’s will offer the contract on 23 January 2026 at its New York sale titled We the People: America at 250, as reported by Arirang News.

Christie’s has reportedly valued the lot between $2 million and $4 million, reflecting the rising appetite for early artefacts from Silicon Valley’s formative years. The contract established the original ownership stakes at 45 per cent each for Jobs and Wozniak and 10 per cent for Wayne, who typed the agreement on his IBM typewriter. His decision to exit the venture just twelve days later — for an $800 payout, followed by a second $1,500 payment — has long been cited as one of the most dramatic what-ifs in tech history, given that his share would theoretically be worth hundreds of billions of dollars today, although structural changes at Apple over the decades render such comparisons largely symbolic.

The signatures of all three founders remain visible on the document, though now faded with age. The auction will also include Wayne’s formal withdrawal agreement as part of the same lot, allowing bidders to acquire two of the most consequential papers from Apple’s earliest chapter. Wayne later described his departure as a pragmatic move, saying the fledgling company would be a “roller coaster” he was unwilling to ride.

This will not be the first time the founding contract appears on the market; in 2011 it sold for $1.5 million, setting a precedent for the significantly higher estimate attached to the upcoming sale. Christie’s expects global interest from collectors focused on technology, American business history and cultural milestones, with the Apple papers likely to be one of the headline attractions at the Rockefeller Center auction.