Apple’s original partnership contract, the document that formally established Apple Computer in 1976, is set to go under the hammer in early 2026. The auction estimates, as per the reports, will range between USD 2 million and USD 4 million. This comes after Christie’s listed a three-page agreement as a highlight entry in its upcoming “We the People: America at 250” sale, scheduled for January 23 in New York.
As seen by Apple Insider, the contract includes the signatures of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, suggesting that the three formed a partnership to manufacture and sell the Apple I computer. While Jobs and Wozniak grew the company into a global technology giant, Wayne’s relationship with Apple came to an end almost immediately.
Wayne withdrew from the partnership less than two weeks after the agreement was signed, citing potential financial liability. He gave up his 10 per cent stake for USD 800 and later received an additional USD 1,500 as part of the dissolution process.
Wayne’s decision has since become one of Silicon Valley’s most frequently cited cautionary tales. His stake, if kept, would be worth tens of billions of dollars today. The copy of the contract he originally owned was sold privately decades ago for around USD 500, long before Apple became one of the world’s most valuable companies.
Bidding for the founding agreement, as per the report, will begin on January 23, with the final hammer price expected to exceed millions of dollars, much like Apple’s previously sold artefacts.
Items from Apple’s early years have consistently sold for high prices at auction. In 2023, a factory-sealed first-generation iPhone sold for USD 190,000, far exceeding its original retail price and fuelling collector interest in vintage Apple products.