New Delhi: A pair of sandals owned by Apple’s co-founder Steve Jobs were sold for $218,750 (approximately Rs 1.7 crore). Julien’s Auctions said that the “well-used” brown suede Birkenstocks, dating to the mid-1970s set a record for the highest price ever paid for a pair of sandals.
The auction company stated in the item on its website that the cork and jute footbed “retains the impression of Steve Jobs’ feet, which had been sculpted after years of use.” According to information on the auction house’s website, Steve Jobs wore these sandals over numerous crucial periods in Apple’s history.
He and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak conceived the company’s initial ideas in a Los Altos garage in 1976 when he intermittently wore these sandals. The Birkenstock headquarters in Rahm’s, Germany, Birkenstock’s first US store in SoHo, New York, IMM Koln, a furniture fair in Cologne, Germany, Zeit Event Berlin for the magazine Die Zeit in 2018, and most recently with the History Museum Wurttemberg in Stuttgart, Germany, were just a few of the exhibitions that the sandals have been a part of, according to the auction house.
The sandals are used well but it is in the good condition. Each sandal has its unique, adjustable Birkenstock buckles and a stamp from the brand on the inside edge of the suede leather foot straps. Steve Jobs’ feet left their mark on the cork and jute insole, which had been used well into shape over time. The sandals’ rubber soles indicate how well it is used, according to a Zee News report.
The former spouse of Steve Jobs, Chrisann Brennan, discussed the recognisable piece of clothing in a Vogue interview. She stated: “He had a simple side, which included the sandals. They served as his attire. You don’t have to stress about what to dress in the morning when you have a uniform, which is a nice perk.”
