Somebody just shelled out a fortune for Steve Jobs’ literal footprints
You read that right—a pair of suede sandals worn by late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was sold for an exact price of $218,750 at a recent bidding by a private auction house. Described by Julien’s Auctions in their listing as fully intact, the sandals still retained their original parts despite their age. Due to heavy usage over the years, the cork and jute footbed also retained the actual imprint of Jobs’ feet.
“The sandals were part of his simple side. They were his uniform. The great thing about a uniform is that you don’t have to worry about what to wear in the morning. He would never have done or bought anything just to stand out from others. He was simply convinced of the intelligence and practicality of the design and the comfort of wearing it. And in them, he didn’t feel like a businessman, so he had the freedom to think creatively,” said Jobs’ former partner Chrisann Brennan in an interview.
The near-$220,000 purchase is far from the estimated $60,000 to 80,000 range by the California-based private auction house. According to them, the final price was also the highest that was shelled out for a pair of sandals. Aside from the pre-loved footwear, were also NFT images of the recently sold item.
As said in the listing, these suede sandals were the very pair that Jobs wore from the 1970s to the 1980s. This then makes them witnesses to the founding of Apple in 1976 when the tech conglomerate was born in Los Altos, California from Jobs and Steve Wozniak’s minds.
Prior to the auction, the pair have been part of multiple exhibitions. Some of these involved displays in the brand’s headquarters in 2017 and their first United States-based store in 2018. Most recently, it was displayed in the History Museum of Wurttemberg in Stuttgart, Germany.
Featured Image and Photo from JULIEN’S AUCTION HOUSE
