Costly mistake ... founder who sold 10% Apple stake for $800
A man who sold his 10 per cent share in Apple for just $800 in 1976 - missing out on billions - is hoping to recoup some of the lost cash by selling the document.
The set of contracts which founded the computer giant are set to be auctioned next month.
They reveal one of the original founders, Ronald Wayne, left the firm after 11 days.
In the last fiscal year, Apple made £24billion ($37.5billion) in cash profits, and has £52billion ($81billion) in cash in the bank.
The original contract establishing Apple is signed by the technology giant's three founding partners - Steve Jobs, Stephen Wozniak and Wayne - and will be auctioned by Sotheby's on December 13. It is expected to raise up to £100,000. An amendment dissolving Wayne's share in Apple will also be put up for auction.
"This is a foundation document in terms of financial history, social history and technological history," said Richard Austin, the head of books and manuscripts at Sotheby's. "It is the founding document of the company that has revolutionised technology, business, personal computing and the world."
Sotheby's said the document, though full of "self-conscious legal jargon", was "relatively simple" and spelled out who held the shares - with Jobs and Wozniak holding 45 per cent each.
