Steve Jobs’ imprint on the technology sector is permanent. A different type of legacy, in the shape of a “well-used” pair of Birkenstocks with his feet imprinted on them, has now fetched a record-breaking amount at auction.
According to an auction company, a suede pair of the famed German shoes worn by Steve Jobs in the 1970s and 1980s sold this week for over $220,000, the highest sum ever paid for a pair of sandals.
“The cork and jute footbed retains the imprint of Steve Jobs’ feet, which had been shaped after years of use,” Julien’s Auctions said in the listing on its website.
While pacing the floors of the California house where he and Steve Wozniak co-founded Apple in 1976, Jobs wore the Birkenstock Arizona sandals. The sandals, which cost $125 today, were projected to fetch $60,000. Julien’s reported the ultimate transaction price was $218,750 when sold with an accompanying NFT to an unknown bidder.
“Steve Jobs wore these sandals during many pivotal moments in Apple’s history,” the listing said. “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.”
Jobs’ sandals were an essential component of his attire. A previous girlfriend told the Washington Post in a 2018 interview that he wore them even in the cold.
“The sandals were part of his simple side. They were his uniform,” said Chrisann Brennan. “The great thing about a uniform is that you don’t have to worry about what to wear in the morning.”
The sandals have shown in exhibitions ranging from New York to Milan.
Jobs and Wozniak co-founded Apple in Los Altos, California, in Jobs’ parents’ home. The Los Altos Historical Commission designated the property as a historic site in 2013.
Jobs died in 2011 from pancreatic cancer complications.