Woz business card sells for $560 on eBay
Woz's sharp, laser-cut metal business card may have already become more famous than Woz himself. How else can you explain one of his cards (signed, of course) going for $560 on eBay? The auction wasn't even for charity! Although the seller, Jon Bauer, who plays on Woz's Segway Polo team, did promise to take Woz and the team to lunch with the loot. Bauer claims the auction was just a test to see just how much someone would pay. Shortly after the listing went up, the Woz himself offered to sign the card before it was shipped. Richard in Iowa, aka "rharms2003," was the lucky winner and will be the recipient of the business card, a signed copy of Woz's book, and a personalized video message as seen above.
The only thing that bothers me about all this is that so far, the only thing the money is being put towards is lunch for a bunch of people who can surely afford their own meals. Hopefully once his fifteen minutes of fame have passed Bauer will offer up the cash for something more significant, like one of Woz's pet charities.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-10-2006 @ 10:31AM
Joe said...
Has anyone else noticed the huge Nixie tube watch he has on? I guess he loves his rare gadgets!
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10-10-2006 @ 11:37AM
Stacey said...
Personally, who cares what the money is used for. Why does everything that a famous person sales need to go to charity?
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10-10-2006 @ 11:40AM
wackybit said...
By how Woz is referring to him as a 'friend', it's kinda like the dude literally "bought" Woz to become his friend.....LOL
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10-10-2006 @ 1:04PM
nf said...
You were bothered? Bothered that he didn't give his earnings to some organization simply because he's wealthy? To entertain the notion that someone who is wealthy should not profit from anything (including eBay) is ludicrous! Oh! God forbid somebody take advantage of our capitalist American spirit. That's right, capitalist!
To say "They don't need the money" is a poor excuse and is completely irrelevant. People don't necessarily sell things because they need the money, they sell things because a] people will buy and b] because they can.
The auction started at $0.01 with no reserve. There were 85 bids. People competed and willingly paid the premium so they could have that special item. Leave these guys alone, they'll do what ever they please with the money and that's their business, not ours.
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10-10-2006 @ 1:52PM
Jim said...
I was going to rant about the charity remark, but instead I will say "thank you" to nf and Stacey, and smile because I know there are at least two more reasonable people in the world.
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10-10-2006 @ 1:54PM
JohnnyAstro said...
Thats a lot of money! Maybe its time I sold my iPod that Woz signed for me last year...
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10-10-2006 @ 2:10PM
John from Buffalo said...
He's worse than Jesse Jackson.
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10-10-2006 @ 2:42PM
Laurie said...
"Bothered that he didn't give his earnings to some organization simply because he's wealthy?" No - bothered because Woz himself is a huge proponent of charitable giving and I am surprised that he didn't ask Jon (the guy who actually sold Woz's business card) to skip the lunch tab and donate the money.
I've got plenty of greedy, selfish, capitalist in me, don't you worry about that. Money motivates me every day in many ways. I'm more surprised than anything since that's just Woz's nature and I'd have thought he would say "Jon - I think this is a cool and interesting experiment to see just how much it'll fetch and I'm thrilled to participate, but how about we take whatever money comes in and buy a few meals for some kids who maybe don't get to eat regularly instead of feeding our own faces with it?"
That's all I'm saying.
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10-10-2006 @ 4:34PM
Don Wilson said...
Laurie, it's not Woz's money. Simple as that.
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10-10-2006 @ 5:54PM
Robert Patterson said...
Seems like a steal of a good deal for the buyer to me. The connection to Woz, one of the world's wealthiest men is well worth the 560 US Dollars.
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10-10-2006 @ 9:37PM
Jon Bauer said...
Thanks Stacey, nf, Jim, and Don.
I didn't sell the card to make a big profit. I thought it was a goof, and so did Woz. I figured it would sell for 10 bucks, and I'd be out 50 for lunch with Woz!
The internet is full of people like Laurie. Some people want to claim some kind of moral superiority and tell others what to do.
I'll donate my money where I want, to whom I want, in the size I want -- and I do, thanks very much.
- Jon
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10-10-2006 @ 10:22PM
Laurie said...
Indeed, the internet is full of people like me. And the Internet is a better place because of it. Awfully defensive comment, Jon, from someone claiming to posses no moral superiority, don't you think? I didn't tell you to do anything. I expressed surprise that you weren't doing something - or at the very least, stating your intentions to do something. An act that the man whose business card you sold (which you had every right to do) would be an advocate of, for sure. I never claimed you set out to make a profit nor did I claim you had any nefarious intentions with the money. I never claimed you were greedy or anything of the sort. If what I said bothers you so much you might want to check with your own conscience. I'm sure if you asked Woz if he'd /rather/ be taken to lunch or have a couple of underprivileged kids taken to lunch with the proceeds from his "notoriety"... well, you know damn well what the answer would be. Not that he'd begrudge you a little fun - nor would I - it's just that it's not unusual for people to think of those in need before they think of themselves. If you're close to Woz I suspect you truly are that way, which is why your reaction is all the more surprising.
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10-10-2006 @ 10:38PM
Jon Bauer said...
Laurie, is starting an argument good for your blog? I'm not gonna fight with you.
You don't know me, but I guess you have the right to be bothered by whatever you choose... Ok, so be bothered.
Peace girl.
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10-11-2006 @ 12:26AM
Flash In the Pan said...
Well, I designed those cards, and I have known Woz for many years. Those who do know him personally understand the vast quantiies of money he has given away to charities. The numbers are staggering. If you guys really don't know your history, as an example, look up the "The Woz Plan" that he created for those early Apple employees he felt got cheated out of the Apple stock plan.
Also, when you give that much money away, and you have a gaggle of ex wives (I think the proper word is gaggle), your personal fortune doesn't necessarily stay at the top.
Lastly, Woz doesn't just hang out with rich people. In reality, he perfers the average Joe of good character. He always has. So I wouldn't assume the guy who sold the card is rich. So maybe Woz signed the card to help the guy out.
Overall it's a fun thing. I don't think you will ever see Jobs interact with "real" people like Woz does. But then, there's only one Woz.
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10-11-2006 @ 7:52AM
Joe said...
who's woz?
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10-11-2006 @ 5:20PM
John Faulkenbury said...
Congrats, Laurie. You just lost a loyal reader. Your comments regarding how Jon spends his money were annoying in the original post, but now you've made a complete idiot out of yourself by arguing the point in the comments. I know that TUAW is a for-profit site, and I sincerely hope that your actions today are reviewed by Weblogs, Inc and action is taken. Good day.
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