A pair of Birkenstock sandals "personally owned and worn" by Apple visionary Steve Jobs was sold on Sunday to an unknown buyer for over $218,000.
The sandals, which were worn by Jobs "during many pivotal moments in Apple’s history," according to Julien's Auctions, came with an exclusive 1-of-1 digital representation minted on the Polygon blockchain. According to the terms and conditions of sale, the non-fungible token (NFT) owner "is not acquiring ownership rights or Intellectual Property (IP) rights" to the NFT and cannot profit from its use.
The lot exceeded its estimated selling price of $60,000-$80,000 and received 19 bids. Julien's Auctions said that Jobs "would wear this particular pair of sandals in the 1970s and 1980s," and that they were previously owned by Jobs' house manager Mark Sheff.
Sheff previously told Business Insider that he collected Jobs' items whenever he would throw them out because "he kept very few things."
In addition, the auction house said that in 1976, Jobs "hatched the beginnings of Apple computer in a Los Altos garage with Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak while occasionally wearing these sandals." Chrisann Brennan, Steve Jobs' ex-partner, once told Vogue that the shoes "were his uniform" and reflected his focus on simplicity and practicality.
The sale of Jobs' NFT-linked sandals adds to a growing list of posthumous digital collectibles sold in recent months, including collections by David Bowie, Biggie Smalls and Whitney Houston's estates.
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