Unprecedented early technical notes and diagrams by Steve Jobs

8001. Steve Jobs Handwritten Technical Instructions and Annotated Schematics (1971). Fascinating early handwritten technical instructions and schematic annotations by Steve Jobs from circa 1971, unsigned, penned on two off-white sheets, 8.5 x 11 and 11 x 8.5, which contain Jobs’ telltale cursive handwriting in addition to instances of print handwriting and annotated diagrams. The first sheet, headed “design considerations,” features a paragraph of technical observations penned by Jobs above a small schematic labeled “basic counter.” The instructions read: “TS autoranging useful? With six digits and only 10 mhz max counting rate that means to reach 90% of full scale (900,000–.9 meg) it would require .9 meg at 1 sec time base, with .1 sec (10 hz) time base you could read to 9 meg (actually 9.99999 meg. Why have auto ranging? To select between these two time bases? Also with auto mode—frequencys under .9 meg will use the 10 second (.1 hz) time base anyway. Why not have 1 second as the max time (always) to eliminate the 10 second time base problem and have a rear switch select the .1 hz time base when needed?” While it remains uncertain if Jobs drew out the diagram, it is confirmed that he did add a few notes below, “10s, 1s, .1s, (serves as max time selector).” The second sheet consists of a large hand-drawn schematic featuring numerous handwritten annotations, the majority of which are in print and a few others in Jobs’ instantly identifiable slanted cursive; the latter read: “digit address (6),” “or possible shift register,” and “decimal point lines (6).”

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According to Apple historian Corey Cohen, the instructions and diagrams appear to be for a digital counting mechanism, one perhaps similar to the type found in a waiting room. The idea and conventions of a “basic counter” would be something familiar to Jobs, who was likely well-acquainted with the needs and demands of such a device through his father, Paul, who worked at a car dealership fixing and selling vehicles. Coincidentally, Jobs would later modify an Apple-1 computer (currently owned by J.B. Pritzker) to act as a display at an auto shop that would reveal the customer number of the most recently serviced vehicle. Also includes a third 11 x 8.5 sheet dated October 30, 1971, which consists of a photocopy of a schematic done by an unknown draftsman. In overall fine condition, with some toning and edgewear, most notable to the larger schematic sheet.

RR Auction has, for lack of greater evidence, deemed the penmanship of the schematics themselves as inconclusive. Jobs may have written only sections of these two documents (the portions in script), or he may have composed both the documents and the schematics in their entirety. Determining as much would require not only examples of Jobs’ print handwrit- ing from this period, but also his past hand-drawn diagrams or schematics, all of which are virtually unobtainable. That Jobs actually did know how to create and draw such schematics was, according to his former Atari boss Allan Alcorn, not out of the question: ‘When I hired Steve, in ‘73, it was as a technician to work with an engineer to build prototypes from schematics the engineers drew. He was able to successfully do that, and I suppose he also got his skills working with Woz when they were in high school.’

Public perception has long cast Steve Jobs under a spotlight that now, with the emergence of these remarkable handwritten documents, feels utterly restrictive. Half showman and half businessman, Jobs excelled in his role as Apple’s CEO and spokesperson, regaling packed auditoriums with tech launches that excited the masses with the promise of tomorrow. But he was more than just the face of Apple. Jobs held a keen understanding of engineering and backend development that few knew he possessed, traits made evident by these neverbefore-seen specialized notes and diagrams. A rare treasure that offers unique insight into the little-known technical acumen of Apple’s Steve Jobs. Starting Bid $1,000

8002. Steve Jobs Atari Interoffice Memo. Original photocopied Atari inter-office memo from Steve Jobs to Stephen Bristow, four pages, 8.5 x 11, August 23, 1975. A memo providing an “Addendum to Final Equations for Astrochart,” with “revisions of the final equations for Planetary Coordinates.” Jobs observes that “the results are most satisfactory, with the greatest deviance being in Pluto’s orbit—still less than 3 degrees!!!” In fine condition.

In 1974, Jobs was perusing the tech industry’s help-wanted classifieds in the San Jose Mercury when an Atari headline caught his eye: ‘Have fun, make money.’ When the unkempt teen showed up in Atari’s office—and refused to leave until they gave him a job—the personnel manager didn’t know whether to let him in or call the cops. Knowing that the dropout youngster would be cheap to hire, Atari’s chief engineer—Pong creator Allan Alcorn—said: ‘Send him in!’ Since Jobs knew how to solder and wire wrap, he was hired on as a technician.

At Atari, Jobs learned to keep user interfaces simple and intuitive—after all, the company’s success was rooted in Pong’s simplicity: ‘Deposit Quarter, Avoid Missing Ball for High Score.’ This sort of elegant user-friendliness would become a hallmark of Jobs’s later products—from the one-button mouse to the touchscreen iPhone. He also refined his business acumen—Jobs famously farmed out the engineering of the Atari ‘Breakout’ prototype to his friend, Steve Wozniak, who implemented several innovative cost-savings circuit designs. Jobs earned a $5000 bonus for the project’s success and reportedly kept it a secret.

In this case, Jobs contributes some “Astrochart” equations to his supervisor, Stephen Bristow—the video game pioneer who helped develop the design concept of Breakout, and assigned Jobs to that project. In an interview with retrogamer. net, Bristow recalled: ‘I think Steve Wozniak did most of the ‘heavy lifting’ on that project but they did a good job. Steve Jobs always had an appreciation of his own ability. He wasn’t allowed onto the production floor because he wouldn’t wear shoes, only sandals. There was a special-ness to him.’

In 1976, Jobs and Woz set out on their own and founded Apple, introducing the personal computer to the masses. This significant early document reveals some of Jobs’s early work in the fledgling tech industry, which he would soon revolutionize forever. Starting Bid $200

Graded GEM MINT 10: a super early March 1976

Apple Computer check signed by “steven jobs,” pre-dating the official founding of the company

8003. Steve Jobs Signed 1976 Apple Computer Check

- PSA GEM MINT 10. Wells Fargo bank check, 7.5 x 3, filled out and signed by Steve Jobs, “steven jobs,” payable to Elmar Electronics for $13.86, March 19, 1976. Drawn on the account of “Apple Computer,” penned in red ink in another hand, the check gives the fledgling firm’s address as the famed ‘Apple Garage’ property in Los Altos. This temporary check, issued upon opening Apple’s first bank account, bears the same routing and account numbers as other early Apple Computer Company checks we have offered—those, however, date to July 1976 and are imprinted with Apple’s first official address at ‘770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto’—the location of an answering service and mail drop that they used while still operating out of the famous Jobs family garage. In fine condition. Encapsulated and graded by PSA/DNA as “GEM MT 10.”

Marked as check “No. 3,” this ultra-early check pre-dates the official founding of Apple Computer, Inc.—some thirteen days later, on April 1, 1976, co-founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne would sign the partnership agreement that officially brought Apple Computer into existence. In March 1976, the month of this check, Wozniak had completed work on an innovative microcomputer design—now known as the Apple-1 Computer—and Jobs suggested that they sell it. Based on the early date, this check for $13.86 to Elmar Electronics—an electronics distribution house with locations in Palo Alto and Mountain View, California—likely represents payment for component parts affiliated with the first Apple-1 prototypes. Elmar was also offering microcomputer courses and seminars at the time, on subjects including Intel memory, the Motorola 6800 processor, and microprocessor programming. Boasting the GEM MINT autograph of Steve Jobs, this is a superior and historic example of a remarkably early Apple Computer check. Starting Bid $5,000

8004. Steve Jobs Signed Applesoft ROM Chip.

Remarkable original Applesoft ROM chip as used in the Apple II Plus computer systems of the early 1980s, signed across the bottom on a thin sliver of tape in black ink by the company’s legendary co-founder, “steve jobs.” The chip is taped to the bottom of a typed letter by Jobs, one page, 8 x 10.5, Apple Computer letterhead, November 16, 1983. In full: “Thanks for letting us know of your support. It’s really great to know that our fans up in the bleachers are cheering for us. Keep the faith! PS: Hope you enjoy the chip—an Applesoft ROM.” Rather than signing the letter, Jobs draws an arrow down to the signed chip, which has its pins pushed through the paper and bent on the reverse to secure it. Produced exclusively for Apple, the chip is imprinted on the top with identification markings and Apple’s copyright notice. Matted to an overall size of 11 x 14. In fine condition, with some surface loss to the lower portion of the letter from tape removal; the tape currently adhering the chip to the letter does not encroach on Jobs’ signature.

Accompanied by a provenance statement from the consignor, who was an avid user of Apple computers in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 1983, he wrote a ‘fan letter’ to Steve Jobs, expressing his enthusiasm for Apple’s products and the way that they had changed society. As an afterthought, he added a playful postscript: “Send me an autographed integrated circuit chip and I’ll hang it on my office wall!!” He explains: “Some weeks later I received a reply from Steve with not only signed a chip, but he had anchored the chip onto the letter by pushing the pins through and bending them over on the back side. Which I thought was a pretty creative twist. He put tape on the top, signed the tape, and referenced the chip in the letter, an Applesoft ROM. I did, in fact, hang it on my home office wall for many years. I taped across the chip [probably not the best idea in hindsight] because when hanging vertically I was afraid, over time, the weight of the chip might cause it to tear away from the letter.”

A notoriously difficult signer, Steve Jobs routinely declined most requests—whether in person or through the mail, he very rarely satisfied the appeals of autograph seekers. In another famous letter from earlier in 1983, sold by RR Auction in 2021, he bluntly said, “I’m afraid I don’t sign autographs,” before curiously endorsing the letter with his distinctive, lowercase signature. In this instance, Jobs again made an amazing exception to his rule—perhaps intrigued by the novelty of the request, or impressed by the genuine enthusiasm of his correspondent, he proudly signed one of the Applesoft ROM chips essential to the Apple II series of computers—the company’s first mass-market success, which paved the way for the introduction of the pioneering Macintosh in 1984. This is undoubtedly one of the most unique and desirable Steve Jobs autographs in existence. Starting Bid $5,000