American entrepreneur, industrial designer, business magnate, media proprietor, and investor, Steve Jobs left an indelible footprint on the technology industry. Now, a different kind of legacy – in the form of a “well-used” pair of Birkenstocks that still retain his feet’s imprints – has fetched a record-breaking price at auction.
A suede pair of the beloved German sandals, worn by Steve Jobs in the 1970s and 1980s, sold this week for nearly $220,000, the highest price ever paid for a pair of sandals, according to an auction house.
“The cork and jute footbed retains the imprint of Steve Jobs’ feet, which had been shaped after years of use,” Julien’s Auctions said in the listing on its website.
The late Jobs wore the Birkenstock Arizona sandals while pacing the floors of the California house where he and Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple in 1976. The sandals, which retail today for $125, were expected to sell for $60,000. Sold with an accompanying NFT to an unnamed buyer, the final sale price came to $218,750, Julien’s said, according to the Guardian.
“Steve Jobs wore these sandals during many pivotal moments in Apple’s history,” the listing said. “In 1976, he hatched the beginnings of Apple computer in a Los Altos garage with Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak while occasionally wearing these sandals.”
The sandals were a foundational part of Jobs’ wardrobe. According to the Washington Post, a former girlfriend said in a 2018 interview that he even wore them in winter. “The sandals were part of his simple side. They were his uniform,” said Chrisann Brennan. “The great thing about a uniform is that you don’t have to worry about what to wear in the morning.”
The sandals have been featured in multiple exhibits from New York to Milan.
Jobs and Wozniak co-founded Apple at Jobs’ parents’ house in Los Altos, California. The property was named a historic landmark by the Los Altos Historical Commission in 2013.
Jobs died in 2011 from complications of pancreatic cancer.
Sources: The Guardian