A science project created by Steve Jobs when he was in eighth grade has sold for $34,375, highlighting the strong market for personal items linked to Apple’s co-founder. The unusual piece fetched a price comparable to that of a new midsize car.
The project appeared alongside rare Apple hardware, prototypes, signed items, and other memorabilia. According to the report, some objects came from the Jobs family home as his stepbrother, John Chovanec, cleared out belongings.
Early Jobs Project Draws Collector Interest
The eighth-grade project offers collectors something different from a vintage Apple computer. Instead, it provides a glimpse into Jobs’ life years before he helped shape the personal computing industry.
The image on page one shows the school project as a wooden display containing electronic components, diagrams, and written explanations. Its handmade appearance stands in sharp contrast to the polished Apple products that later became associated with Jobs.
However, the science project was far from the auction’s most expensive item.
An Apple-1 known as the “Neumark” Apple-1 sold for $499,363. The machine features a distinctive Smith-Corona typewriter case, making it especially unusual among surviving Apple-1 computers.
Rare Apple Items Command High Prices
Meanwhile, a “stealth iPod” development prototype sold for $91,479. That result nearly doubled its $50,000 estimate and showed continued demand for Apple prototypes.
Other Jobs-related objects also attracted major bids. A business card signed by Jobs reached $156,658, while an Apple Lisa with “Twiggy” drives sold for $89,356. Additionally, a Jobs-signed fan letter brought $33,945.
Computer components discovered in the “Apple Garage” fetched $27,188. Jobs’ personally owned portrait also sold for $16,079.
Even smaller pieces found buyers. An Apple logo sun catcher sold for $4,365, while vintage employee clothing went for $875.
Ultimately, the $34,375 school project shows that collectors value more than Apple’s groundbreaking technology. Personal artifacts connected to Jobs’ early life can command remarkable prices because they offer a rare connection to the person behind one of technology’s most influential companies.
