Apple Rainbow Logo Glasses And Other Belongings Of Founders Head To Auction
Image courtesy of RR Auction
A piece of Apple’s colorful history is about to find a new home as a pair of rare rainbow sunglasses, once custom-made for co-founder Steve Wozniak around 1979, hits the auction block.
This unique eyewear, part of a limited batch of just 30, has been put up for grabs by RR Auction in Boston. Featuring Metzler-TWE 145 frames and lenses that mimic the iconic Apple logo in a spectrum of rainbow hues, these glasses are a tangible—and truly visible—piece of tech lore. The shades even scored a starring role on the cover of Steve Carr’s 1984 book, WOZ: the Prodigal Son of Silicon Valley, cementing their place in the Cupertino goliath’s mythology.
Image courtesy of RR Auction
As of publication, this spectacle has drawn US$5,500 in bid offers from 11 participants.
But the sunglasses are just the tip of the iceberg at this auction, which encompasses an array of Apple memorabilia. Among the treasures are a check signed by Steve Jobs for an Apple phone bill, his business card, and even a movie ticket stub signed by the man himself.
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The check, dated July 8, 1976, and made out to Pacific Telephone for $201.41, offers a glimpse into the company’s early days, using the address of “770 Welch Rd., Ste. 154, Palo Alto”—a nod to Apple’s origins in the Jobs family garage. This slip of paper, valued for its pristine condition, is now estimated to fetch around US$25,000.
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This period in 1976 was a pivotal time for Apple. Just four months after founding the Apple Computer Company, Jobs and Wozniak were deep into the development of their first product, the Apple-1. Initially, they intended to keep it as a do-it-yourself kit, but the pair shifted to producing fully assembled units following a significant order from Paul Terrell, owner of The Byte Shop. Thus began a shift from a hobbyist’s pursuit to a mainstream consumer product.
Adding a personal touch to the curation, a movie ticket stub from August 23, 2003, signed by Jobs, is ready to become the next person’s blockbuster moment. This ticket for Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pear comes from a sweet moment of Jobs taking his family to the movies. To accommodate his children, the Apple cofounder tapped the shoulder of a fellow moviegoer and politely requested if they could move a seat down. The surprised guest agreed, and they also asked for an autograph.
Image courtesy of RR Auction
These pieces join nearly 200 gems from Apple’s past, including vintage computers and employee sweaters, at RR Auction’s Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution sale.
Image courtesy of RR Auction
[via RR Auction, images courtesy]
