Black Friday Sale! 50% Off All Access

'I Have Something Much Sexier': Elon Musk's Ex-Girlfriend Is Auctioning Photos and Mementos From Their Time in College in the '90s If you're willing to fork over hundreds or even thousands of dollars, you could get a signed birthday card or emerald necklace reportedly gifted from the richest man in the world.

By Gabrielle Bienasz

Entrepreneur+ Black Friday Sale

Our biggest sale — Get unlimited access to Entrepreneur.com at an unbeatable price. Use code SAVE50 at checkout.*

Claim Offer

*Offer only available to new subscribers

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

People often sell (or pawn) expensive items from past relationships, but old photographs and mementos are usually kept in a shoebox at the top of a closet.

But if your college ex goes on to become the richest man in the world, you might reconsider the value of your keepsakes.

That's exactly what Jennifer Gwynne, a South Carolina-based inventory analyst at McKesson Brands — who happened to date Elon Musk in college — is doing through the auction house, RR Auction.

Gwynne told Entrepreneur that she's "always been a big saver of sentimental things," and last year, she saw that a former student of Musk's had sold some homework he graded for $7,753.

"And, I'm like 'I have something much sexier,'" she said.

Gwynne added that most of the money, besides a small donation to charity, will go to her stepson's college fund.

One of the items shows the young Musk in a Judge Dredd superhero T-shirt at the University of Pennsylvania's Quadrangle dorm, according to the listing.

Courtesy: Jennifer Gwynne // RR Auction

Bobby Livingston, executive VP at RR Auction, told Entrepreneur that Musk is "probably one of the 21st century's most important people."

"There's not a lot of Elon Musk material that comes to auction, so due to his importance, there's a ton of interest in this auction," Livingston said.

In the photo's description says the duo "began dating in the fall semester of the 1994-1995 school year when they both lived and worked as Resident Advisors (RAs) in the 'Spruce Street' part of the University of Pennsylvania's Quadrangle dorm."

So far, that photo is going for $636 (at press time) with 14 bids. You can put bids in until September 14.

However, there are a host of other photos for the Musk-obsessed, like him hanging out with a friend and Gwynne (at press time $350), looking zany in a dorm room ($630), or spiffed out in a tux for a college formal ($417).

Courtesy: Jennifer Gwynne // RR Auction

One of the highest photo bids so far is a 1994 photo of Musk at a computer, which at press time was going for $1,641.

Gwynne wrote she took the photo during "serious schoolwork time."

"Elon talked about electric cars being the way of the future back in 1994," she said in the listing. "So, honestly, for the last 25 years, I knew Tesla was going to work, that it was going to be successful. There is something so very infectious about Elon's confidence and clarity," she added.

Courtesy: Jennifer Gwynne // RR Auction

But that's all topped by interest in an emerald necklace, as CNN noted.

According to the listing, Gwynne said that Musk gave her the necklace when they went to visit Elon's mother in Toronto in 1994 during Christmas break: "Elon gave me both the small 'love, love, love' note and the necklace. 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."

Courtesy: Jennifer Gwynne // RR Auction

As of Monday morning, the bidding is at $5,999. Musk has denied his father, Errol Musk, owned an emerald mine.

Musk is now worth $262 billion and is the richest person in the world, per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

RR Auction also recently sold off high-profile business memorabilia from Steve Jobs.

Gabrielle Bienasz is a staff writer at Entrepreneur. She previously worked at Insider and Inc. Magazine. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Health & Wellness

How to Improve Your Daily Routine to Strike a Balance Between Rest and Business Success

Here's how entrepreneurs can balance their time and energy to prevent burnout.

Making a Change

This All-Access Pass to Learning Is Now $20 for Black Friday

Unlock more than 1,000 courses to fit your schedule.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Business News

The Two Richest People in the World Are Fighting on Social Media Again

Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk had a new, contentious exchange on X.

Business News

Barbara Corcoran Says This Is the Interest Rate Magic Number That Will Make the Market 'Go Ballistic'

Corcoran said she praying for lower interest rates and people are "tired of waiting."