Steve Jobs's well-worn Birkenstocks sell for $218,000

The Apple guru's footwear set a record for the highest price paid for a pair of sandals, Julien's Auctions said

Steve Jobs's Birkenstock sandals fetched a record price at auction in New York. AP

Apple founder Steve Jobs was well known for walking around with bare feet.

But when he did decide to put some footwear on, he often chose a pair of Birkenstock sandals, which have just sold at auction for $218,750.

“Steve Jobs wore these sandals during many pivotal moments in Apple’s history,” auction house Julien's Auctions 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. When Jobs discovered the ingenuity and practicality of Birkenstocks, he became fascinated. Margot Fraser, who brought the brand to the United States was among Steve's first calls upon trying on the iconic sandal.”

The sandals are in a well-used condition and retain the imprint of Mr Jobs's feet.

The auction was estimated to have bids reaching $60,000 to $80,000, but eventually reached what Julien's Auctions said was a record for the highest price paid for a pair of sandals.

“The sandals were part of his simple side,” said his former partner Chrisann Brennan in an interview with Vogue.

“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.

“He would never have done or bought anything just to stand out from others. He was simply convinced of the intelligence and practicality of the design and the comfort of wearing it. And in Birkenstocks, he didn't feel like a businessman, so he had the freedom to think creatively.”

The purchase of the sandals also included an exclusive NFT version of them.

Mr Jobs died of pancreatic cancer in 2011. He was 56 years old.

Memorabilia items have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars since his death.

In August, his original Apple-1 computer prototype sold at an auction for $677,196.

It was regarded as an example of the computer that started it all and was hand-soldered by Apple co-founder Mr Wozniak in 1976.

Other Apple items to sell in that auction included a Steve Jobs business card for $9,518, a 1983 Macintosh introduction plan and logo leaflet for $9,635, a Steve Jobs signed 1971 high school yearbook for $22,728 and a 1976 Apple tax exemption card signed by Mr Jobs for $26,095.

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