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Steve Jobs’ Handwritten Letter, Penned At Only 18, Could Fetch $300K At Auction
By Alexa Heah, 25 Oct 2021
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Image via Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com
In August, an Apple II Manual signed by Steve Jobs headed to auction with a message inscribed to the son of UK entrepreneur Michael Brewer reading: “Your generation is the first to grow up with computers. Go change the world!” Next month, a handwritten letter, penned by Jobs when he was just 18 years old, will go under the hammer.
British auction house Bonhams will auction off the one-page note written to Tim Brown, Jobs’ childhood friend.
The personal relic, which is expected to fetch between US$200,000 and US$300,000, includes Jobs’ thoughts on spirituality, such as Zen Buddhism, and his desire to travel to India to attend a Hindu pilgrimage. The entrepreneur later spent seven months in India that year.
According to CNBC Make It, the letter is dated February 23, 1974, just a day before the Apple founder turned 19.
It’s written all in lower case, with a section saying: “tim i have read your letter many times / i do not know what to say. many mornings have come and gone / people have came and went / i have loved and i have cried many times. / somehow, though, beneath it all it doesn’t change — do you understand?”
He then signed off the letter with “shanti,” meaning “peace” in the ancient language of Sanskrit. Touchingly, it seems the pair’s friendship continued throughout the years, with both still keeping in touch till Jobs’ death in 2011.
“This letter gives us a fascinating insight into the mental processes of one of the world’s greatest creators and entrepreneurs. No autograph letters from Jobs have appeared at auction before, and certainly no material as revealing and insightful as this,” said Adam Stackhouse, Director of Bonhams’ History of Science and Technology Business.
Take a look at the one-of-a-kind letter below.
[via CNBC Make It, cover image via Anton_Ivanov / Shutterstock.com]
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