Apple’s Original Founding Papers to Hit Christie’s Auction Block for Up to $4 Million

Nearly five decades after Apple’s humble beginnings in a California garage, the company’s earliest legal documents—papers that marked the birth of what would become a trillion-dollar tech powerhouse—are heading to auction. Christie’s has announced that the original 1976 partnership contract signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne will be offered for sale in New York next year, with estimates suggesting it could fetch between $2 million and $4 million.

The three-page agreement, typed by Ron Wayne on his IBM typewriter, formally established the structure of Apple Computer Company. It includes the faded signatures of all three founders, capturing a pivotal moment in Silicon Valley history. According to Arirang News, the document will be auctioned on January 23, 2026, as part of Christie’s special event titled We the People: America at 250, which celebrates milestones that shaped the nation’s cultural and technological landscape.

The contract originally divided ownership equally between Jobs and Wozniak, with each receiving a 45 percent stake. Ron Wayne, brought on to provide administrative oversight and stability, was allotted the remaining 10 percent. However, Wayne’s involvement was short-lived. Just twelve days after signing, he chose to withdraw from the partnership—an act often highlighted as one of the most consequential decisions in tech history.

Wayne’s exit documents will also be included in the auction lot. These papers detail that he received $800 at the time—an amount equivalent to about $4,500 today—for surrendering his share, followed by an additional payment of $1,500. Wayne later defended his decision, recalling that the Apple venture seemed poised to be a “roller coaster” and that he did not want to be part of such a high-risk undertaking. Although his former stake would be worth hundreds of billions of dollars based on Apple’s modern valuation, historians note that the company’s structure has shifted so dramatically over time that any direct comparison is more symbolic than literal.

This is not the first time the founding documents have appeared at auction. When the papers were previously sold in 2011, they garnered $1.5 million, underscoring the intense demand among collectors for artifacts tied to Apple’s origin story. Given the company’s enormous cultural and economic influence today, experts anticipate even stronger global interest this time around.

Christie’s Rockefeller Center headquarters will host the auction, where tech historians, collectors, and enthusiasts are expected to gather. The inclusion of both the founding contract and Wayne’s withdrawal agreement offers a rare chance to own two of the most significant documents from Apple’s earliest days. As Christie’s prepares for the event, the papers are already being hailed as standout items within the broader collection celebrating 250 years of American innovation.

With Apple’s rise from garage startup to global titan, these fragile sheets of paper represent much more than business contracts—they symbolize the very beginning of a technological revolution.