What you need to know
- Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was on the cover of Fortune in October 1989.
- His chauffeur had a copy of the magazine signed by Jobs, although he wasn't happy about it.
- That magazine is now up for auction with a starting bid of $11,000.
You, too, could own an interesting bit of Steve Jobs memorabilia so long as you're willing to hand over more than $11,000. That's the current bid on a copy of the October 9, 1989 issue of Fortune that bears not only a photo of the Apple co-founder, but also his signature.
The magazine was signed after one of his chauffeurs asked him to do it – a move that upset Jobs. But not until after he'd done it.
Steve Jobs signed ''Fortune'' magazine cover from its 9 October 1989 issue, published shortly after the launch of Jobs' new company NeXT, Inc. Jobs signs in black ink, ''To Terry / steve jobs'', with his characteristic lower case signature, next to a photo of the charismatic technology icon. The recipient, Terry, was one of Jobs' chauffeur drivers for several years before asking Jobs to sign this magazine, although Jobs subsequently called the limousine company to complain about the autograph request.
The magazine came at an important point in Jobs' life, shortly after NeXT launched. Nobody knew at the time how things would ultimately pan out, but the events of the next 20 years probably made this magazine worth more than it otherwise would be!
