Twitter bird logo from SF headquarters sells for over $34K in auction

SAN FRANCISCO - It's officially the end of an era. 

The iconic blue bird that once sat atop of the headquarters of Twitter, Inc. on San Francisco's Market Street has been sold, fetching a price of a little over $34,000 in an auction ending on Thursday. 

RR Auction, a Boston-based auction house that sells rare and collectible items, held their Steve Jobs and the Apple Revolution Auction, opening on Feb. 27. 

The bird, nicknamed "Larry" after NBA Great Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics, was first mounted on the former Twitter headquarters in 2012 and stayed for over a decade until the social media website's rebranding in 2023.

"This Twitter sign is more than a massive piece of memorabilia; it's a symbol of how fast our world is changing," Bobby Livingston said. 

Livingston serves as the executive vice president of RR Auction.

"Getting your hands on something like this means owning a piece of the era that reshaped our global communication landscape," Livingston added.

By the numbers:

The items sold at the auction totaled over $1.3 million, with the Apple-1 Computer with Accessories fetching the highest price at $375,000. 

Other items sold were a Steve Jobs-signed 1976 Apple Computer Company Check No. 5 at a little over $112,000, a "rare" 4-gigabyte Model Apple iPhone-First Generation sold for around $87,500, a Steve Jobs-signed 1976 Computer Company Check at $62,500, and an Apple Lisa Computer with ‘Twiggy’ Drives, selling for nearly $57,000.

Additionally, the Apple-1 computer is reportedly fully functional and the 4-gigabyte iPhone fully sealed in its original packaging. 

 "What's special about this auction, including the Twitter sign, is how it captures the spirit of innovation that drove tech giants like Steve Jobs. It's not just memorabilia—it's a part of history that shaped how we communicate today," Livingston said.

The backstory:

Twitter was renamed "X" in 2023, when tech mogul Elon Musk bought the company. 

A slew of changes to the app have been made, and not without controversy. 

For a brief period, former verified accounts lost their "blue checkmark" that authenticated their identity, including late celebrities like Kobe Bryant and Anthony Bourdain. 

Several layoffs were made to staff, some journalists saw their accounts being briefly suspended, and some advertisers have left the platform over concerns about hate speech.

Controversial accounts have seen their accounts reinstated, such as Alex Jones, a far-right radio host who pushed the conspiracy that the 2012 Sandy Hook mass shooting was a hoax.

More recently, the block feature has been modified, allowing blocked accounts to see tweets from users that have blocked them, but cannot interact with them. Previously, blocked users could not see any tweets or posts from those who've blocked them.

Solidifying the rebranding from Twitter to X, a bright and flashy "X" sign was put on top of the headquarters, a move that angered neighbors, saying the white lights were too bright.

Other memorabilia and items were previously auctioned in the early days of X, including furniture and equipment, and professional kitchen items.