Apple II manual that had an inscription and signature by the Apple founder Steve Jobs was sold off at $787,484 in an auction on August 19th. The manual dates back to 1980. Jim Irsay, owner of the American football team Indianapolis Colts is the buyer of this rare piece. The auction was conducted by a Boston-based auction house, RR Auction.
The manual has a total of 196 pages of which the ‘Table of Contents’ page features an inscription and sign of Steve Jobs in blue ink. It also has the handwriting and sign of Mike Markkula who was a former angel investor and second CEO of Apple. The manual has the technical details of the architecture and operation of the Apple II.
Jobs’ inscription reads “Julian, your generation is the first to grow up with computers. Go change the world! Steven Jobs, 1980.” The person referred to here is Julian Brewer. Julian’s father Michael played in part in securing exclusive distribution rights for Apple in the UK in the year 1979.
RR Auction on its website notes that the inscription conveys Jobs’ “ambition and vision for the future of Apple Computer, Inc.” It added that the sign and inscription were made when they were in the UK to promote their company. The site also says that the manual is in good condition except for a few stains on the cover. RR Auction has also sold a signed letter from Jobs for $479,939.
Apple II was one of the first computers aimed at mass production and it went on to become Apple’s biggest product. Julian Brewer notes that it was rare for Jobs to sign on anything. Maybe this was the reason why, after Jobs died in 2011, the cost of the things on which Jobs signed went very high.
Irsay expressed what the manual meant to him and added that Jobs was a person with the “most innovative mind” among people from the past two centuries.
