Twitter’s Iconic Blue Bird Flies To The Top As Priciest Item Sold At HQ Auction
Late last year, Twitter signaled it was wiping the slate clean when it decided to put hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of furniture and industrial equipment from its San Francisco headquarters up for sale.
Turns out, the most expensive piece of memorabilia ended up being the social media platform’s iconic blue bird sculpture, which sold for US$100,000 in the auction that saw more than 600 items go under the hammer.
According to Gizmodo, the statue fetched 4,000 times its opening bid for US$25, flying to the top spot as the priciest item at the fire sale. Standing at 41 inches tall, 46 inches wide, and 12 inches deep, the piece is exactly what you would expect—a rather large depiction of the firm’s logo.
SFGATE reported that in the last hour of the auction, buyers upped the offers from US$30,000 to the eventual US$100,000 that won the auction. Despite its price tag, it’s unclear what material the statue is made out of, with one reporter saying it was made of unimpressive “foam board.”
As it appears, the network’s logos were among the most popular items at the sale. Another 10-foot-tall neon blue bird sign sold for US$40,000 in the final hours of the auction, earning itself the spot of the second-highest grossing item.
Interestingly, in third place was a 73-inch by 75.7-inch “@“ sculpture planter, which fetched a final price of US$15,500. At the very least, it can be repurposed to house real plants in its new owner’s home or office.
It’s currently unclear just how much Twitter raised from the sale, as Heritage Global Partners told publications it could not release the exact number without the platform giving the go-ahead. Other items rounding off the auction included office supplies, Eames furniture, and even kitchen gadgets.
With the site’s offices shuttered in Singapore, Hong Kong, and the Philippines, and a report alleging its revenue has declined by an astonishing 40%, it’s unlikely the proceeds from the sale will make much of a difference to Twitter’s bottom line. Perhaps it saved on moving fees.
