A movie poster for Toy Story featuring Steve Jobs’ signature will hit the auction block in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Starting bid: $25,000.
Jobs, the legendary founder of Apple, ran Pixar Animations Studios when its first blockbuster, Toy Story, hit silver screens in 1995. Considered one of the all-time best animated movies, Tory Story earned $373.6 million at the box office and garnered three Oscar nominations.
The poster features characters Buzz Lightyear and Woody. Beneath their feet, scrawled with a black, fiber-tipped marker, is the autograph of Jobs, credited as the movie’s executive director. The poster measures 24 inches by 36 inches.
Nate D. Sanders Auctions will handle the sale of the poster, which comes with a certificate of authenticity.
The value of a Steve Jobs autograph
Photo: Nate D. Sanders Auctions
The starting bid of $25,000 might seem high. However, experts don’t consider the price exorbitant when it comes Jobs. The late Apple co-founder signed his name in all lowercase letters — but rarely gave out his signature.
The auction house says fewer than 10 Jobs-autographed items exist. Jobs’ signature, according to the 2018 Paul Fraser Collectibles Autograph Index, should fetch more than $50,000.
That’s more than autographs by any member of The Beatles, including the dearly departed John and George, and more expensive than the late Stephen Hawking.
Steve Jobs and Pixar
Jobs’ journey to Pixar started when he resigned from Apple in 1984 after losing a power struggle with the company’s board of directors. He then founded the computer platform development company, NeXT. In 1986, he acquired the computer graphics division of Lucasfilm Ltd. and renamed it Pixar Animation Studios.
Jobs returned to Apple in 1997. He remained Pixar’s CEO and majority shareholder until 2006, when The Walt Disney Company acquired the super-successful animation studio.
