A few decades ago, before Elon Musk became the richest man in the worldHe was in a romantic relationship with a young woman named Jennifer Gwynewho he began dating in 1994. Though his courtship did not last, he left several items that are currently claimed by collectors.
The tech tycoon’s ex-partner auctioned a number of photos and memorabilia from his relationship with Musk, according to the CNN network.
The lot being auctioned consists of 21 items from the time when Gwynne and Musk were a couple. For example, the inventory includes snapshots of the teenage version of the billionaire when he was dreaming in his twenties, long before he founded Tesla or Space X.
Jennifer Gwynne, Musk’s college friend, put the memorabilia up for sale through Boston-based RR Auction.
Gwynne and Musk began dating when they both worked as resident advisors in a college dorm, according to a press release from RR Auction shared with CNN. Shortly after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Musk began a PhD program at Stanford, but left to found his first startup, Zip2.
The photos show the billionaire as a normal college student before his extraordinary rise to financial success. Back then, he was lounging around in a bedroom, hanging out with his roommate advisors, and cuddling with his partner.
Big Tesla fans can bid on an Elon Musk memorabilia until Wednesday, September 14, when the auction closes. Photo: RR Auction
The item with the highest bid is a signed birthday card followed by a necklace given to Gwynne on her birthday.
“Happy Birthday Jennifer (aka Boo-Boo) with love, Elon,” the note read. As of late Sunday morning, the highest bid was around $7,000. According to RR, the postcard is expected to sell for more than 10,000.
Speaking to People magazine, Jennifer said: “The emerald necklace and the birthday card are examples of her genuinely romantic side, which was also difficult to see (…) When she gave me the necklace and the note, I saw that part of herself that he offered me and it made me love him more.”
Jennifer Gwynne sells photos of Elon Musk when he was an economics student. Photo: RR Auction
It’s worth noting that the gold necklace contains an emerald from the Zambian emerald mine owned by Musk’s father Errol, a wealthy South African real estate developer and engineer.
“When we visited Elon’s mother in Toronto over the Christmas break in 1994, Elon gave me both the little ‘Love, Love, Love’ note and the necklace,” Gwynne said. “His mother had several of these necklaces in a suitcase in her bedroom, and Elon tells me they came from his father’s emerald mine in South Africa. He took one out of the suitcase. And because I didn’t get her anything for Christmas (and I felt really guilty about it), she said we would consider the necklace an early birthday present for me.”
He also commented on how he took care of the necklace Musk had given him. “I’ve worn the necklace off and on for several years, but it’s been in my jewelry box for most of the past 10 years (which of course always reminds me of Elon),” she revealed.
Collectors and big fans of the life of the American businessman of South African descent can place their bids until the auction closes on Wednesday 14 September.