The document bears the signatures of Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ron Wayne, representing a pivotal moment in Silicon Valley history when a garage project transformed into what would become a global technology giant.
The agreement, typed on Ron Wayne's IBM typewriter, originally divided ownership with Jobs and Wozniak each receiving 45 percent stakes, while Wayne retained 10 percent.
The contract and Wayne's formal withdrawal agreement will be offered as a single lot at Christie's "We the People: America at 250" auction, which celebrates items reflecting 250 years of American innovation and culture.
This packaging represents a rare opportunity for collectors to acquire two of the most significant artifacts from Apple's founding era.
Ron Wayne's involvement with Apple lasted merely twelve days. Shortly after signing the partnership agreement on April 1, 1976, Wayne chose to exit the venture, citing concerns about financial liability and describing the undertaking as a "roller coaster" he preferred not to board.
He surrendered his 10 percent stake for $800, with an additional $1,500 payment received later. This decision has since become one of Silicon Valley's most frequently cited cautionary tales, as that stake would be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in today's valuation.
Ironically, Wayne's relationship with the founding documents proved equally short-lived. In the early 1990s, he sold his personal copy of the partnership agreement for merely $500, a transaction he later expressed regret over.
That same set of papers subsequently changed hands multiple times, accumulating considerable value.
The most recent auction of these founding papers occurred in December 2011, when Sotheby's sold them to a private collector for nearly $1.6 million.
The significantly higher estimate for the forthcoming Christie's sale—reaching up to $4 million—reflects growing collector interest in tech history artifacts and the passage of time since the previous transaction.
Christie's decision to place these documents on the market comes as Apple approaches its fiftieth anniversary, amplifying the historical significance of the moment captured in these fragile pages.
The three-page agreement stands as more than a business contract; it represents the legal genesis of a company that would fundamentally reshape computing and consumer technology worldwide.
