A science project built by Steve Jobs back when he was in the eighth grade has found a new owner after selling at a recent auction for $34,375. The late co-founder of Apple put the presentation together while attending Cupertino Junior High in 1968. The lot offered bidders a rare glimpse into the early technical interests of a teenager who would eventually change the computing landscape forever.
The plywood presentation board explains how a silicon rectifier works
The project is officially titled “What is the SCR?” and breaks down the mechanics of a silicon-controlled rectifier. It features a main display board built out of plywood and divided into three separate sections.
The left side holds a wooden model showing the different semiconductor layers. The center panel contains actual test circuits to demonstrate how the component functions in real life. Finally, the right side provides a detailed diagram of a 25-amp unit.
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Along with the board, the winning bidder received a ten-page report dated February 29, 1968, and submitted to a teacher named Mrs. Yakel. The young student even left a handwritten note for the science fair judges. He instructed them to plug in specific circuits to an oscilloscope to see the device run, while politely asking them to unplug everything when finished.
His stepbrother kept the childhood item after offering it back
This piece of history made its way to the auction block through John Chovanec, the stepbrother of the tech icon. Chovanec’s mother married Paul Jobs in 1990. After Paul passed away in 1993, Chovanec reached out multiple times to see if his stepbrother wanted to collect his old personal items from the family home in Los Altos.
When Steve Jobs declined to pick up the belongings, Chovanec warned that he would just keep the items himself. He reportedly agreed to this arrangement, noting he did not want to be bothered about the boxes again.
This is not the first time Chovanec has sold items from the early life of the famous inventor. He previously auctioned off a 1977 computer poster for nearly $660,000 and a set of old bow ties that fetched over $113,000. These massive auction results highlight how collectors remain willing to spend a premium just to own a small piece of tech history, regardless of how ordinary the item might seem on the surface.
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