A pair of sandals owned and worn by the late Apple founder Steve Jobs have been sold for more than $200,000 at an auction by Julien’s.
The brown suede leather Birkenstock Arizona sandals was worn by Jobs in the late 70s and 80s. It was sold to an undisclosed buyer for $218,750.
“Steve Jobs wore these sandals during many pivotal moments in Apple’s history. 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,” said Julien’s in its listing.
The footwear had been Birkenstock’s in many past exhibitions including those in Salone del Mobile in Milano, Italy; Birkenstock Headquarters in Rahms, Germany; Birkenstock’s first United States store in SoHo, New York; and with the History Museum Wurttemberg in Stuttgart, Germany, among many others.
The item had an initial value at $60,000 before it was sold for the highest bid mentioned; said to be the highest price ever paid for a pair of sandals at an auction.
Julien’s said the Birkenstock pair was previously part of a collection of Mark Sheff, Jobs’ estate manager in Albany, California. It was also previously sold for $2,000 at an auction in 2016.
Sheff told Insider in an interview that Jobs ‘kept very few things’ and the pair of sandals was one of those he acquired from the former Apple CEO.
“We kept some, shared some with the landscapers and friends and brought some to Goodwill. The collection we ended up with is quite random,” Sheff narrated.
Jobs is known for his simple outfit; oftentimes wearing only jeans, turtleneck shirts and sandals even on business meetings.
“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,” his ex-partner Chrisann Brennan recalled in an interview with Vogue.
Job’s iconic Birkenstock are well used but still intact with the original adjustable buckles and the stamping on the inner edge of the suede leather foot straps.
Its cork and jute footbed also retains the imprint of Steve Jobs’ feet, which had been shaped after years of use, according to Julien’s.