$30,000 for Tupac's Prison ID

Starting bid $2,000, hammer price $30,000: in late July 2019, Heritage Auctions auctioned off the inmate ID that Tupac received in February 1995 at the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York State. Vibe had announced the auction on June 25, and NME reported the sale on July 25.

30 Bids for a New Record

According to the auction house, more than 10,200 visitors viewed the page, and 30 bids were submitted. It was reportedly the highest price ever achieved at a public auction for a piece of Tupac memorabilia. The house quoted its director of music memorabilia, Garry Shrum: fans had not forgotten Tupac’s impact and would do anything to own a piece of his life.

A Document from Private Hands

The laminated ID card bears Tupac’s signature and was issued two weeks after he began serving his sentence, on February 14. It comes from private hands: the seller had received it from Tupac himself. The background to the imprisonment was the verdict in the New York case.