Elon Musk's ex-girlfriend auctioning off never-before-seen photos, memorabilia
Interested buyers can place bids through Sept. 14 on RR Auction's website
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Jennifer Gwynne, Elon Musk's college sweetheart, is auctioning off never before seen photos and memorabilia of the world's richest man through Boston-based RR Auction.
Gwynne and Musk began dating in the fall during the 1994-1995 school year when they both lived and worked as resident advisors in the Spruce Street portion of the University of Pennsylvania's Quadrangle dorm complex.
Elon Musk seated on a bench with his girlfriend, Jennifer Gwynne, on the University of Pennsylvania campus in 1995 (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gwynne / RR Auction)
In 1995, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from the Wharton School, Musk migrated to Stanford University, where he was accepted into the school's Ph.D. program in materials science. He left after two days to join the Internet boom and launch his first startup.
DINOSAUR SKELETON EXPECTED TO SELL FOR $495K AT AUCTION
Highlights from the auction include a birthday card to Gwynne signed by Musk himself and a 14-karat gold necklace with a small green emerald given to Gwynne as an early birthday gift. Both the card and the necklace were given to Gwynne when the couple went to visit Musk's mother in Toronto during the Christmas break of 1994.
A birthday card with a multicolored, repeating 'Love You' design on the front, neatly signed, and inscribed by the future Tesla boss, "Happy Birthday, Jennifer (aka, Boo-Boo), Love, Elon." (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gwynne / RR Auction)
"His mom had a number of these necklaces in a case in her bedroom, and Elon told me they were from his father's emerald mine in South Africa—he pulled one from the case," Gywnne said in a statement. "Because I had not gotten him anything as a Christmas gift (and I felt very guilty about that), he said we would consider the necklace an early birthday present for me. I wore the necklace for a number of years on and off, but it's mostly been in my jewelry box for the last ten years (always reminding me of Elon, of course)."
Jennifer Gwynne and Elon Musk stand with Maye Musk during a visit to New York City on May 13, 1995. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gwynne / RR Auction)
Included with the necklace are two original candid photos of Musk and Gwynne—one depicting them standing with Musk’s mother, Maye, during a visit to New York City (date-stamped to May 13, 1995), and the other of Musk and Gwynne posing with four other Resident Advisors before an end-of-the-year formal at the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.
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In addition, the lot includes 18 candid photos of Musk. As of the time of publication, bidding on the items has ranged from as low as $121 and as high as $10,001.
Elon Musk as a 23-year-old senior at the University of Pennsylvania in 1994, showing him happily wearing a Judge Dredd t-shirt in a fourth-floor study hall in one of the Quad towers. (Photo courtesy of Jennifer Gwynne / RR Auction)
Gwynne plans to use the proceeds from the auction, which will run through Sept. 14, to help pay for her stepson's college tuition.
She works as a global purchasing inventory analyst at McCesson, according to her LinkedIn profile.