2010 iPad signed by Jobs, a 2007 "Holy Grail" iPhone among Apple devices being auctioned off
The guys at RR Auction are at it again. After auctioning off rare Apple-related items during the summer, such as the second check ever written by Apple and signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, and an Apple-1 computer signed by Wozniak, the auction house has some more rare and unique Apple items up for bids. By the way, the check (written for $116.97) was won with a high bid of $135,261 and the Woz-signed Apple-1 fetched a winning bid of $223,520.
Now if you are a serious collector of Apple products, what collection could be complete without an iPad signed on the back by the late Steve Jobs? And as usual, there's an interesting back story. Hawaiian dentist Frank H. Sayre is the person putting the autographed iPad up for bids. He treated Jobs for a dental emergency in 2010 on the island and at the time, the dentist would not charge out-of-towners for an emergency appointment. Jobs wanted to pay but agreed to send a signed iPad to auction off for a foundation the dentist was involved with.
How would you like to own an iPad autographed by the late Steve Jobs?
After several months, Jobs had not returned to the office and the signed iPad didn't arrive. So the dentist sent a check to Jobs' office to buy the iPad for the auction. But he soon received the check back from Jobs' personal assistant LaNita Burkhead along with the signed iPad.and a letter explaining that Jobs wanted the dentist to have the iPad to auction for free. Doctor Sayre explained what happened and how he ended up with the signed tablet:
Apple iPad autographed on the back panel by Steve Jobs
"At the event in September we decided to take the top 3 bidders at the silent auction and pit them against each other in a live auction during dinner. I was trying to bid up the price and was one of those top 3. During the live auction one of the bidders dropped out and it was just one other guy and myself and, again, I was trying to push the price up. Someone in the audience yelled out, 'C'mon, let the Doc have it,' and the other guy dropped out and I ended up with it."
Besides the autographed iPad, the winner bidder gets the original box, power brick, USB cable with the infamous 30-pin plug, and a SIM tool. Bidding ends on September 23rd and after 10 bids, the highest one amounts to $11,794. The next bid will be $12,974.
An Apple Computer Company check signed by Steve Jobs would be quite a conversation piece
Other Apple-related lots include a check from Apple Computer Company in the amount of $33.92 made to a company called Graphics West, signed by Steven Jobs. Bidding ends on September 23rd and the current high bid is $18,868. The check is estimated to receive a winning bid above $25,000.
Steve Jobs signed this Apple Computer Company check back in 1976
Recently we've seen some pretty meaty prices for 2007 OG iPhone units in the original sealed packaging. In July, a 4GB 2007 OG iPhone went for a record $158,644 (and it still only works on EDGE!). A sealed 4GB model is being auctioned off by RR and since Apple stopped offering the 4GB model on September 5th, 2007 due to weak sales, it is considered the "Holy Grail" for iPhone and Apple collectors.
Two sealed, un-opened OG iPhone models could be a relative bargain
Apple dropped the 4GB version when consumers realized that for just $100 more, they could purchase the phone with twice the storage. Since the 4GB model was discontinued just over two months after it was launched, these unsealed units are rare indeed. However, the current bid is $16,106 which means that either the guy who paid $158,644 in July overpaid or an incredible bargain is staring us right in the face. The auction ends on September 23rd.
The Holy Grail! A 4GB sealed OG iPhone is up for bids
Another sealed 2007 iPhone is being auctioned off by RR although this model is an 8GB variant with 13 icons on the screen indicating that it was from a later production run. This model includes gift packaging that came from Apple which covers the iPhone box. The owner of the phone explains how he received it:
An 8GB OG iPhone unit still sealed and in original Apple gift wrapping
"In early 2008, I was notified by a distributor that I was awarded an Apple iPhone for sales performance of Canon wide format printers. In February of 2008, Apple shipped me an original iPhone 8GB model directly from the online Apple Store. I was thankful for the gift but I was a Windows and Motorola Razr guy so I took the box and stored it in a closet. I had long forgotten about it but in 2018 I was cleaning out the closet and noticed that the box with the iPhone was still there."
The current high bid is $10,000 (there is only 1 bid) and the next bid will be $11,000. Bidding, as with all the items we've discussed, ends on September 23rd.
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