Iconic Treasures: Steve Jobs Memorabilia up for Auction at Apple’s 50th Anniversary Event

Apple recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, and to mark the occasion, RR Auctions organized a two-part auction titled “Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution: The Apple 50th Anniversary Auction.” Collectors, known for their passion for all things Steve Jobs, showed great interest in part one of the auction, where several items fetched high prices. Notably, the first check ever issued by the company was sold for a staggering $2.4 million.

Part two of the auction features an intriguing item that is sure to captivate collectors – Steve Jobs’ eighth-grade science fair project titled “What is the SCR?” The project, which includes two demonstration circuits related to “Silicon-Controlled Rectifier” (SCR), has been kept at the Jobs family property since the science fair. It is now up for auction along with over 200 other Jobs-related items, with the bidding currently at $2,420.

The project, dated Feb. 29, 1968, comprises a 32-inch plywood display with circuits, a 10-page report, and hand-drawn circuit diagrams by Jobs himself. In a typical Jobs fashion, the project includes a note warning judges about the circuit’s operation to prevent burnout risks.

The item’s condition is described as “overall very good to fine,” and it comes from the personal collection of John Chovanec, Steve Jobs’ stepbrother. Chovanec’s mother, Marilyn, married Paul Jobs in 1990, and Steve Jobs served as the best man at their wedding. Marilyn continued to reside in the Jobs family home in Los Altos after Paul’s passing in 1993. While sorting through his father’s belongings, Steve decided to leave many personal items at the home, including the science fair project, which remained there for decades.

Chovanec recalls that despite repeated requests from him and his mother for Steve to take the school project, Steve always refused, insisting that it should stay where it was. Eventually, Chovanec carefully preserved the project, much to the delight of Jobs collectors.

In addition to the science fair project, several other items are up for auction, including an Apple II computer gifted by Steve Jobs to his father, Paul Jobs, and Jobs’ NeXT business card with a handwritten note to his dad. A magazine page featuring a promotional portrait of Steve Jobs with his NeXT computer system is also available for bidding.

For those interested in acquiring a piece of Jobs memorabilia, various items are on offer at different bidding prices. The auction presents a unique opportunity for enthusiasts to own a piece of tech history associated with the iconic Steve Jobs.