Sandals Owned by Apple Founder, Steve Jobs Sold IDR 3.4 Billion at Auction

The Sandal Birkenstocks belongs to the late Steve Jobs. (Photo; Doc. JulensLive)

JAKARTA – Sandals branded Birkenstocks, which were often worn by the late Steve Jobs when he founded the technology giant Apple in the 1970s to 1980s, have received 19 offers. Until finally the Birkenstocks sandals were sold at a price of 218.750 US dollars (equivalent to IDR 3.4 billion) by a buyer who did not want to be named.

The purchase was made at a leading auction house based in California, Julien's Auction. The auction of Steve Jobs' sandals was held for three days, from November 11 to November 13. The initial price of the Birkenstocks sandals is priced at USD 60.000 (IDR 942 million).

Even so, bidders submitted bids ranging from USD 15.000 (equivalent to IDR 235 million) to USD 175.000 (approximately IDR 2.7 billion). The final price is the highest price someone has ever paid for a pair of sandals at auction, according to auction house Julien's Auction. Also, the footprints on the sandals are not the only thing that makes these sandals valuable.

“Steve Jobs wore these sandals during many important moments in Apple's history. In 1976, he pioneered the beginning of the Apple computer in a Los Altos garage with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak while occasionally wearing these sandals," according to Julien's Auction in a statement on its official website.

Birkenstocks Sandals Ownership Story

This pair of Birkenstock sandals was previously owned by Mark Sheff, the house manager of Steve Jobs. In an article with Business Insider, Sheff stated that he acquired these Birkenstocks and other items because, "he [Jobs] kept very few things."

“We saved some, shared some (stuff) with landscapers and friends and took some to Goodwill. The collection we have is quite random,” he added. Additionally, Sheff stated in an article with Vogue that Steve Jobs had invented his sandals in the 1970s because he was an "environmental, alternative and New Age advocate."

Steve Jobs wore these sandals during many important moments in Apple's history. In 1976, he hacked into Apple's original computer in a Los Altos garage with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak while occasionally wearing these slippers. Margot Fraser, who brought the brand to the United States was one of the first people Steve called to try on these iconic sandals. Margot mentions that, “He was interested in the shape it came from, he wanted to know everything about the material and he was also interested in the technical side of it.”

These sandals have been part of numerous exhibitions, including but not limited to Salone del Mobile in Milano, Italy in 2017, at Birkenstock Headquarters in Rahms, Germany in 2017, at Birkenstock's first store in the United States in SoHo, New York, at IMM Koln, furniture fair in Cologne, Germany, Zeit Event Berlin for Die Zeit magazine in 2018, and most recently with the History Museum of Wurttemberg in Stuttgart, Germany.

During a sandal exhibit with the Birkenstock company, former partner of Steve Jobs (and mother of Steve Jobs' first child, Lisa Brennan-Jobs) Chrisann Brennan had the opportunity to see, hold and talk about this iconic garment as it was filmed. He became emotional and excited to be reunited and held up Steve Jobs' iconic sandals after three decades, in an interview with Vogue titled "Apple Meets Birkenstock".

“Those sandals are part of her humble side. The sandals are her uniform. The great thing about uniforms is you don't have to worry about what to wear in the morning," says Brennan.

“He would never do or buy anything just to stand out from the rest. He only believes in the intelligence and practicality of the design and the comfort of wearing it. And with Birkenstocks, he doesn't feel like an entrepreneur, so he has the freedom to think creatively," he added.

Apart from physical sandals, Birkenstocks are also available in digital form, namely NFT which displays a 360° digital representation of the sandals worn by Steve Jobs. The digital version also includes Jobs' footprints. Then, there is also a book written by Jean Pigozzi entitled The 213 Most Important Men in My Life is also included. This makes the price soar and is owned by the only buyer in the auction house Julien's Auction.