Apple’s Original 1976 Founding Agreement Set For Auction And Could Fetch Up To $4 Million

Apple’s foundation as a tech giant is being revisited as the company’s original 1976 formation agreement heads to auction. The three-page document that officially established Apple Computer Company is expected to draw bids of up to $4 million.

Christie’s, the renowned British auction house with global locations including New York, will offer the historically significant paperwork in early 2026, according to Apple Insider.

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The agreement bears the signatures of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne, along with a breakdown of their ownership stakes at the company’s inception.

The document represents the company’s earliest legal roots, but its original structure did not last long. Before Apple Computer Company evolved into Apple Computer, Inc less than a year later, Wayne had already exited and sold his 10 percent share back to Jobs and Wozniak.

Apple Founding Agreement’s Short-Lived Origins

Wayne departed the company less than two weeks after its creation. In a 2016 BBC interview, he said he did not regret the decision, even though his initial stake would have been worth around $60 billion at the time — and far more today.

He later received only $1,500 to give up all remaining business interests in the company.

Adding to the painful irony, Wayne eventually sold his personal copy of the founding document for just $500. He admitted to the BBC that this was a decision he did regret.

Auction Expected to Draw Major Interest from Collectors

Apple Insider reports that the agreement is valued between $2 million and $4 million. Christie’s will present it during the “We the People: America at 250” auction in New York on 23 January 2026.

This isn’t the first Apple relic to attract major attention. In 2023, a sealed first-generation iPhone sold for $190,000 — roughly 300 times its original retail price.

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