A pair of Birkenstock sandals worn by Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, in the 1970s during the creation of what is now one of the biggest companies in the world, sold for nearly $200,000. The eventual winner of the auction was also given an accompanying NFT to the sandals.
Quick Take:
- A pair of Steve Jobs’ Birkenstocks went up for sale via auction recently, alongside an accompanying NFT
- The Apple co-founder’s sandals sold for nearly $200,000 USD.
The Steve Jobs Birkenstock Sandal Auction
Steve Jobs wore a pair of Birkenstock sandals during his time spent building Apple in the 1970s. This was the time that he was building up the now multi-billion dollar company. Now, thanks to Julien’s Auctions in California, the “well-used” brown suede sandals and accompanying NFT have sold for the grand price of over $218,000. Despite being estimated at $60-80,000.
The NFT, according to Julien’s Auctions, is a “360° digital representation of Steve Jobs’ personally owned and worn Birkenstock sandals”. It was sold as a 1/1 piece, with the physical sandals coming alongside it. Notably, the blockchain of choice was Polygon. Which is the layer 2 protocol with better transaction speeds and lower fees compared to Ethereum.
Apple’s View on NFTs
Apple, the company that Steve Jobs founded prior to his death, recently shared their policies on NFTs within their in-house digital app store. Anyone wishing to have NFTs on their app must use Apple’s in-app purchases to sell NFTs and sell services related to them (including minting, listing, and transferring). Also, as of the changes made last month, Apple now allows for apps to let their users browse NFT collections. This is as long as they don’t include buttons or other external linking, directing customers to purchase the NFTs outwith in-app purchases.
Also, Apple take a 30% cut of any in-app purchases, which doesn’t change for NFT-based ones. Now, those who are looking to sell NFTs through Apple’s platform are at a disadvantage monetarily. At least compared to those who sell on other platforms.
