According to a news release shared by RR Auction with CNN, Gwynne and Musk began dating in 1994 when they were both working as resident advisors in a university dormitory. Shortly after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Musk began a PhD at Stanford, but left to launch his first startup, Zip2.
The raffle includes 18 candid photos of the entrepreneur as a baby-faced economics student at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as several other memorabilia Musk and Gwynne spent together.
The glossy photos show the billionaire looking like an ordinary college student before his rise to success: lounging around his dorm room, hanging out with consulting colleagues and cuddling with his girlfriend.
The current highest bidding item is an autographed birthday card, followed by a necklace given to Gwynne on her birthday.
“Happy Birthday, Jennifer (aka, Boo-Boo), Love, Elon,” the note read. As of Sunday morning, the highest bid was almost $7,000. According to RR, the card is expected to sell for more than $10,000.
“When I went to Toronto to visit Elon’s mother during Christmas break in 1994, Elon gave me both a little ‘love, love, love’ note and a necklace,” Gwynne said in a statement to RR. “His mother had a few of these necklaces in a box in her bedroom and Elon told me they were from his dad’s emerald mine in South Africa – he took one out of the box. So I didn’t get anything for Christmas. (and I felt really guilty about it) ), she said we’d consider the necklace an early birthday present for me.”
“I’ve worn the necklace on and off for a few years, but it’s mostly been in my jewelry box for the last decade (always reminds me of Elon, of course).”
The necklace also comes with two photos, one of Musk and Gwynne with Musk’s mother, model Maye Musk, and one of Musk and Gwynne officially in late 1995.
Tesla superfans can bid on the piece of Musk-orabilia until Wednesday, when the auction closes.
