Steve Jobs’ 1968 Science Fair Project Heads to Auction

On February 29, 1968, a young Steve Jobs presented a project titled "What Is the Silicon-Controlled Rectifier?" at his 8th-grade science fair. Decades later, that same plywood display board has become a focal point of a major historical auction, serving as a tangible link to the formative years of one of the 20th century's most influential figures. The item is currently being sold as part of a two-part auction series titled Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution: The Apple 50th Anniversary Auction, managed by RR Auction.

What Happened

The auction, which marks the 50th anniversary of Apple’s founding, has brought to light a collection of items that trace the trajectory of the company from a garage startup to a global technology leader. While the first part of the auction saw the sale of the first-ever check issued by Apple for $2.4 million, the second part focuses on deeper, more personal artifacts. The science fair project, which remained at the Jobs family property in Los Altos, California, for years, is now the centerpiece of this second phase.

Collectors and historians are watching the bidding closely. As of the latest updates, the online bids for the science project sit below $3,000, though historical trends for Apple-related memorabilia suggest this figure is likely to climb significantly before the auction concludes. The project serves as a reminder that before the Macintosh, the iPhone, or the iPod, there was a student interested in the fundamental building blocks of electronics.

Key Details

The science fair project is a 32-inch plywood display that features two demonstration circuits designed to illustrate the function of a Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR). The SCR is a four-layer semiconductor device used for power control, a technology that was cutting-edge for a middle school student in the late 1960s.

Included with the display are:

• A 10-page report written by Jobs.
• Hand-drawn circuit diagrams detailing the project's construction.
• Explicit operating instructions for the judges.

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of the item is a handwritten warning note left by Jobs for the judges. He provided instructions on how to operate the exhibit while reminding them twice to unplug it afterward. This note suggests an awareness of the potential for the circuit to overheat or burn out if left running for extended periods, highlighting a practical, hands-on understanding of electrical engineering even at that young age.

Beyond the science project, the auction includes other significant pieces of Apple history:

The 'Neumark' Apple-1 is particularly notable. It is a fully functional system from the second batch of 50 units ever produced. Unlike many surviving units, this machine comes with an archive documenting its use as an active personal computer during Apple’s infancy. Additionally, the 'Stealth iPod' prototype, developed by the Special Projects Group, offers insight into the secretive nature of Apple’s design process. This unit was housed in an oversized enclosure to hide the final form factor while engineers refined the hardware and software prior to the device's 2001 launch.

Context

Apple celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year, an event that has triggered a wave of retrospective analysis regarding the company's impact on personal computing and consumer electronics. RR Auction has positioned this specific sale as a comprehensive look at the "Computer Revolution" that Jobs helped catalyze.

Memorabilia from the early days of Apple has become a distinct asset class. The value of these items is often driven by the intersection of rarity and the cultural legacy of Steve Jobs. Items that provide a window into his pre-professional life—such as this science fair project—are especially prized by collectors because they humanize a figure who is often mythologized. By examining the handwritten notes and the plywood construction of the 1968 project, observers can see a direct line from the curiosity of an 8th-grader to the rigorous design standards that defined the company he later built.

Why It Matters

Preserving these artifacts is not merely about accumulating expensive objects; it is about documenting the history of technological innovation. The transition from the Silicon-Controlled Rectifier project to the development of the iPod prototype illustrates the rapid evolution of electronics over three decades.

• Technological Literacy: The project demonstrates that Jobs’ interest in electronics was not a sudden development but a lifelong pursuit.
• Design Philosophy: The care taken in the project’s documentation and the explicit warning notes hint at the attention to detail and user experience that would later become hallmarks of Apple products.
• Cultural Legacy: These items serve as primary sources for historians attempting to understand the environment that fostered the personal computer revolution.

For those interested in the history of Silicon Valley, these items provide a rare, tangible connection to the past. The inclusion of the 'Stealth iPod' prototype, in particular, highlights the intense secrecy and iterative testing phases that allowed Apple to redefine the music industry, contrasting sharply with the open, educational setting of a 1968 science fair.

Bottom Line

The auction of Steve Jobs’ 8th-grade science fair project is more than a sale of vintage electronics; it is a sale of historical context. While the monetary value will be determined by the highest bidder, the true value lies in the insight these artifacts provide into the early mind of a tech pioneer. Whether it is the plywood display from 1968 or the engineering prototypes from the early 2000s, these items map the transformation of a hobbyist’s curiosity into a global phenomenon.

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