Apple II Manual Signed by Steve Jobs Sells for $787,483

An Apple II manual signed by Steve Jobs and Mike Markkula sold for $787,484 at auction this month after garnering 46 bids.

steve jobs signed apple ii manual
The 196 page manual was addressed to Julian Brewer, the son of Michael Brewer. Michael Brewer negotiated distribution rights for Apple in the UK in 1979, and the manual had a personal message inside. "Julian, your generation is the first to grow up with computers. Go change the world! Steven Jobs, 1980," read Jobs' note.

Julian recalls, "I was sitting in my bedroom writing games on my Apple II when Dad called me down to meet some guests. To my amazement it was Steve Jobs and Mike Markkula. I had the manual with me and only later understood how rare it was for Jobs to sign anything, let alone to write an inscription like this. He got on well with Dad, so I feel the inscription was made with care."

RR Auctions, the site that sold the Apple II manual, also auctioned off other Steve Jobs memorabilia that fetched high prices. A Steve Jobs' letter that said "I'm afraid I don't sign autographs" sold for $479,939, and a NeXTSTEP software package sold for $210,325.

apple 1 computer
A functional Apple-1 computer previously owned by Roger Wagner fetched $464,876, which is less than some prior Apple-1 computers have sold for. A signed 128K Macintosh Motherboard sold for $132,049, and an Apple Lisa Computer sold for $94,949.

steve jobs bomber jacket
A copy of Macworld #1 that was signed by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak sold for $201,021, and a leather bomber jacket that was worn by Jobs in the 1983 "middle finger to IBM" photo sold for $66,466.

Popular Stories

apple store down feature

Here's Why the Apple Store is Going Down

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:01 pm PST by
Apple's online store is going down for a few hours on a rolling country-by-country basis right now, but do not get your hopes up for new products. Apple takes its online store down for a few hours ahead of Black Friday every year to tease/prepare for its annual gift card offer with the purchase of select products. The store already went down and came back online in Australia and New Zealand, ...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket is Now Completely Sold Out Worldwide

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:16 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released. iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
New Intel Logo

Apple and Intel Rumored to Partner on Mac Chips Again in a New Way

Friday November 28, 2025 7:33 am PST by
While all Macs are now powered by Apple's custom-designed chips, a new rumor claims that Apple may rekindle its partnership with Intel, albeit in a new and limited way. Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said Intel is expected to begin shipping Apple's lowest-end M-series chip as early as mid-2027. Kuo said Apple plans to utilize Intel's 18A process, which is the "earliest...
streaming black friday 2025

Best Black Friday Streaming Deals - Save Big on Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, and More

Thursday November 27, 2025 1:14 pm PST by
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Apple TV, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone to Debut These Three Breakthrough Features

Tuesday November 25, 2025 7:09 am PST by
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition. The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
iphone air camera

iPhone Air Flop Sparks Industry Retreat From Ultra-Thin Phones

Thursday November 27, 2025 3:14 am PST by
Apple's disappointing iPhone Air sales are causing major Chinese mobile vendors to scrap or freeze their own ultra-thin phone projects, according to reports coming out of Asia. Since the ‌iPhone Air‌ launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales and manufacturing cuts, while Apple's supply chain has scaled back shipments and production. Apple supplier Foxconn has...
iphone black friday gold

The Best Black Friday iPhone Deals Still Available

Friday November 28, 2025 6:24 am PST by
Cellular carriers have always offered big savings on the newest iPhone models during the holidays, and Black Friday 2025 sales have kicked off at AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and more. Right now we're tracking notable offers on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. For even more savings, keep an eye on older models during the holiday shopping season. Note: MacRumors is...

Top Rated Comments

Agent OrangeZ Avatar
56 months ago

Super rich people making silly purchases for fun. The equivalent of me buying an old Transformer on eBay for $20.
I remember a couple of years ago, I stopped into a grocery store and they had tomatoes and avocados on sale really cheap. So I bought some... and there is this seasoning salt that I really like... that I can only ever get there for some reason... but the bottle is like $3.99. A customer who was also in the tomato, and avocado area made conversation with me about how good the price was on them that day. I mentioned the seasoning salt to him and how I liked eating sliced tomatoes and avocados as a snack with some sprinkled on them. He saw the $3.99 price tag and said "Oh no! I can't afford to pay that much for salt!"

It really put things into perspective. How $4 is too much for some people to spend on a little treat.

I dunno why... but your post made me think about that.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
nwcs Avatar
56 months ago
Super rich people making silly purchases for fun. The equivalent of me buying an old Transformer on eBay for $20.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Psychicbob Avatar
56 months ago
I couldn’t afford an Apple computer in the early 80s so I got a ZX Spectrum instead. I didn’t change the world but I did git gud at Jetset Willy ?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TGM85 Avatar
56 months ago
Wow, Steve Jobs is for sure a hero of the modern world, but paying $66,000 for an old leather jacket because Jobs wore it in a silly picture? That's ridiculous.

I'm going to lift the paving stones outside the old Apple HQ at Infinite Loop and charge $10,000 each for them. After all, Steve Jobs walked on them every day for years.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Dc2006ster Avatar
56 months ago
Love the jacket. I drive a small 2 seater Mazda and have thought a jacket like this would be cool but might possibly make me look like a right wanker.

I miss those manuals. I often feel that I am not using my Mac and its OS to its maximum potential because I do not have a manual that shows me all of its features and capabilities. I know there is a ton of published books and online stuff but I still miss those manuals.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
laz232 Avatar
56 months ago
I like this story about the signed manual - it's nice - Simpler times...
:)
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)