Steve Jobs’ 8th grade science project hits the auction block

The collection offers a candid look at the company's evolution, including a bulky "Stealth iPod" prototype that measures 8.5 by 12 inches—a stark contrast to the pocket-sized device that eventually defined a generation. Among the more personal artifacts is a school project on silicon-controlled rectifiers from Jobs' time at Cupertino Junior High. John Chovanec, Jobs’ stepbrother, secured the project after a tense exchange with the Apple co-founder, who had shown little interest in preserving his childhood memorabilia. Chovanec’s cache, now part of the auction, also includes bank statements from 1976 and a signed NeXT business card.

The current centerpiece of the sale is a fully functional Apple-1 computer, one of only 50 produced in its specific run. Housed in a modified Smith Corona typewriter case, the machine features documentation with Jobs’ own name pencilled in as a contact reference. Bidding for the computer has already climbed to $225,500, far outpacing other items like early Macintosh hardware and various rainbow-logo displays. While the focus remains on Cupertino’s history, the auction also branches into broader tech nostalgia, offering items like an Atari gaming console prototype and memorabilia from Twitter’s pre-Musk era. Bidding for these pieces of computing history concludes on August 20.