A Declined Autograph Letter With Steve Jobs' Signature Fetches Its Owner $480,000

Apple Inc. AAPL co-founder Steve Jobs was a notoriously difficult signer. Now a new letter from the early days of Apple has emerged, showing the funny side of Jobs.

What Happened: A letter from Steve Jobs has found its way to RR Auction, where the Apple co-founder wrote a tongue-in-cheek response to a request for an autograph.

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Jobs was known for being very stingy when giving out autographs. "A notoriously difficult signer, Steve Jobs routinely declined most requests—whether in person or through the mail, he rarely satisfied the appeals of autograph seekers," says the auction description.

In a 1983 letter, Jobs wrote a cheeky one-line response to one such fan who requested his autograph. "I'm honored that you'd write, but I'm afraid I don't sign autographs," Jobs said.

It's unclear if the person who requested the autograph sent Jobs a photograph or a magazine to sign. However, Jobs ensured the fan got what they wanted by hand-signing the letter in his classic lowercase signature.

Ultimately, the fan got what they wanted and a memory that would last them a lifetime.

The letter was eventually sold and fetched the owner a big payday of $480,000. The fact that Jobs didn't give out a lot of autographs might have increased the value of this letter, making the owner rich in the process.

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