Elon Musk's former girlfriend sells personal memorabilia & strangest things sold at auction

A photograph of Elon Musk during his college years that is among the items a college girlfriend is selling - Copyright JENNIFER GWYNNE/RR AUCTION

By David Mouriquand

Published on 16/09/2022 - 11:33

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Would you want your ex to sell old photos of you? Elon Musk's former girlfriend is doing just that as she auctions personal memorabilia...

Amid the ongoing court case of Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter and the shareholder approval for the buyout, it has been reported by a Boston auction house that college photos of the Tesla CEO and memorabilia from his then-girlfriend have sold for $165,000 (approx. €165,033) at auction.

Boston-based RR Auction said it was a collection of never-before-seen photos from Musk's college girlfriend, Jennifer Gwynne.

Gwynne told The Boston Globe she read about an auction of test papers that Musk graded and realized she had far more personal items she could sell, including candid photos, a birthday card from him and a necklace he gave her.

Expensive memorabilia

Musk and Gwynne dated from 1994 to 1995 when they were both at the University of Pennsylvania. They split when Musk graduated, moved to California and said he couldn’t talk on the phone because it seemed like a waste of time to him, Gwynne said.

“We broke up just before he started conquering the world,” according to Gwynne.

She and Musk have not kept in touch.

The gold necklace with a small green emerald that Musk gave to Gwynne in late 1994 as a birthday present sold for $51,000 (approx. €51,058).

A photo of Musk and Gwynne posing with four other resident advisors before a school formal in 1995 sold for $42,000 (approx. €42,048), the auction house said. The birthday card Musk signed to Gwynne, calling her “Boo-Boo,” sold for nearly $17,000 (approx. €17,019).

The 18 candid photos were sold individually.

Gwynne has stated that she plans to use some of the proceeds for her stepson's college education.

Extravagant buys

It’s far from the first time fans of celebrity names will part with their money for “prized” memorabilia, some stranger and more outrageously expensive than others…

Here are a few examples.

Caveat emptor.

Diana's wedding cake

Last year, a royal fan bought a slice of Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding cake for £1,850 (approx. €2,110) at auction, more than 40 years after the couple tied the knot.

The large piece of cake icing and marzipan base features a detailed, sugared design of the royal coat of arms. It was given to Moya Smith, a royal staffer, who preserved it with cling film and dated it 29 July 1981.

“It appears to be in exactly the same good condition as when originally sold,″ said Chris Albury, auctioneer and senior valuer at Dominic Winter Auctioneers. “But we advise against eating it.” Probably wise.

Michael Jackson's threads

Kim Kardashian paid $65,625 (approx. €65,850) for a velvet jacket worn by Michael Jackson at Elizabeth Taylor’s birthday party in 1997 for her 6-year-old daughter, North.

The gift was reportedly altered to fit North by altering the custom-made jacket to fit her proportions, Kardashian explained in an Instagram story.

Another MJ fan, Hong Kong business man Hoffman Ma, bought the singer's famous white glove in 2009 for $350,000 (approx. €351,212). The glove was worn by Jackson when he famously moonwalked on stage for the first time at the 1983 Motown 25 television special.

We're broke, Toto

Judy Garland's ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz were reportedly listed at $6 million (approx. €6,020,790) by auction site Moments in Time. Several other pairs exist, including one pair that was stolen in 2005 and recovered by the FBI in 2018.

Monroe's birthday dress

Marilyn Monroe’s "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress, which was covered in 2,500 rhinestones, sold for $1,267,500 (approx. €1,271,891) at a Christie's auction in 1999.

The was so tight-fitting, Monroe had to be sewn into it on the day of JFK's birthday party. Kim Kardashian recently wore it at this year's Met Gala, and it did not go down well...

A bag of hot air from a bag of hot air…

A Kayne West fan thought it would be a good idea to Ziploc-bag some air from one of Kayne West’s album releases last year and sell it on eBay. The starting price for the sealed bag labelled “Air From Donda Drop” was $3,330.00 (approx €3,338.97).

This isn’t the first time a Kanye fan has tried to make some cash by selling bagged air. In 2015, someone made over $60,000 (approx. €60,148) from an eBay listing selling air from "Ye’s ‘Yeezus" tour.

No news on how its authenticity was verified...

Expensive germs

Scarlett Johansson's used tissue was reportedly sold on eBay for $2,050 (approx. €2,055) in 2008 after the star said she'd caught a cold from co-star Samuel L. Jackson.

Johansson stated she would sell the tissue and then give the proceeds to charity. So that's something...

Pricey snacks

After appearing on the Australian morning program Sunrise in 2012, One Direction's Niall Horan left a part of his Vegemite-covered toast on set.

The half-eaten piece of toast was promptly put up on eBay and it was reportedly sold for an astounding $100,000 (approx. €100,246). For a piece of toast.

At least it was sliced in triangles. That's some comfort.

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