Autographed Warren Buffett books fetch as much as $100,000 at auction

OMAHA, Neb. — Transpacific wire transfers. Checks arriving unexpectedly in the mail. People standing at the ready, poised to shell out tens of thousands of dollars.

Such was the scene in the months leading up to and during Berkshire Hathaway‘s annual meeting last weekend. The chance to obtain memorabilia signed by legendary CEO Warren Buffett sent shareholders on a mad dash to participate in a silent auction during what turned out to be a monumental gathering.

In true Buffett fashion, it was all for a local charity serving his native Omaha.

Attendees of the annual meeting could buy an exclusive anniversary book titled “60 Years of Berkshire Hathaway” on site. However, 18 copies signed by Buffett and author Carrie Sova, were only available via an auction to benefit Stephen Center, a shelter serving the Nebraska city where Berkshire is headquartered.

Buffett pledged to match every dollar raised for the organization, which offers housing and addiction recovery programs. With the 94-year-old’s contribution, the event raised more than $1.3 million, according to Chris Knauf, CEO of the Stephen Center.

“There are truly no words that can adequately express mine and our gratitude for this incredible generosity,” Knauf told CNBC in an interview. “It’s just phenomenal.”

In the first phase, eight books were auctioned online ahead of the meeting, with the highest bid $100,000. Then, on Friday and Saturday, 10 books were auctioned during the “Berkshire Bazaar of Bargains” event. More than 50 bids came in, with some as high as $60,000.

The book took on an unexpected significance after Buffett shocked the investing world during the event with a surprise announcement that he planned to step down from the CEO role at year-end.

Knauf said two additional signed books were set aside for donors who were friends with the late Charlie Munger. Buffett’s longtime business partner was featured prominently in the publication. That brought the total number of signed copies supporting the Stephen Center to 20.

One of the winning bidders was Matthew Rodriguez, a 43-year-old real estate professional. Rodriguez said he monitored the online auction’s leaderboard, then pulled the trigger with a $50,000 bid about 15 minutes before it closed.

“It’s going to be a pretty priceless artifact in my library,” Rodriguez said.

As a self-proclaimed “fan boy” of Buffett, Rodriguez said he was excited to support an organization with the billionaire investor’s stamp of approval and liked that every dollar he could contribute would be matched. Because Rodriguez lives in Omaha, he was also familiar with the Stephen Center’s local impact.

Rodriguez was one of several donors to quickly reached out to the center after Buffett first announced the initiative in the company’s annual shareholder letter released in February. The “Oracle of Omaha” shared details about the book and the plan to fundraise for the local group in the letter, but did not explicitly lay out the steps for obtaining a signed edition.

Before shareholders realized there was an auction, some sent checks directly to the charity in case it ended up being first-come, first-serve, Knauf said. When Stephen Center representatives called to let them know the process, some who weren’t planning on coming to the meeting told them to keep the money as donations, citing their affection for Buffett, he said.

“What Mr. Buffett has done for me, what Mr. Buffett has done for my family, is immeasurable,” Knauf recalled hearing in these conversations with shareholders. “If the least we can do is write a check for this charity, then we want to do it.”

The Stephen Center ended up collecting more than $45,000 from donors tied to Buffett and the annual meeting outside of the auction. Beyond monetary support, Knauf said he expects Buffett’s selection of the center to help spread awareness of the role of shelters play in local communities.

“We are a homeless shelter and addiction recovery campus in Omaha, Nebraska,” Knauf said. “Did I ever think that we would be doing wire transfers from Singapore? I did not.”

A portion of the funds will help support a renovation of the space housing an addiction recovery program, Knauf said. Other donations will go toward construction of a women and children’s center, he said.

These plans come as the organization tries to aid the growing community of unhoused people in Omaha, Knauf said. He pointed to data from an annual count showing the homeless population has grown nearly 10% from last year, with what he called a particularly substantial spike in families, children and senior citizens.

For shareholder Jay Ji, this mission hit close to home after his family experienced economic troubles as a child. The investment manager placed a winning bid of around $20,150 and toured the Stephen Center to see first-hand where the money would go.

“I want to just do my part,” the 43-year-old said. “I’m more determined to try to find ways to to make sure that … fewer families will experience those kind of hardships, and whenever possible, to deploy some resources to help.”

In addition to the signed books, Buffett said during his famous annual question-and-answer session that Berkshire sold around 8,000 copies of the anniversary book at the meeting.

Also new to this year’s gathering was a gigantic claw crane, which shareholders could pay $10 for a chance to win prizes tied to Berkshire’s holding companies. Proceeds from the crane benefit Hope Center for Kids, an Omaha-based organization providing after-school and summer care for children.

Both efforts underscore Buffett’s decades-long emphasis on charitable giving. For more than two decades, Buffett had auctioned off a private lunch to benefit San Francisco-based nonprofit Glide. The final winner of this event in 2022 shelled out more than $19 million. Taken together, the Berkshire CEO’s 21 lunches collectively raised more than $53 million.

Buffett has long pledged to give 99% of his personal fortune to charity. He argued against creating family wealth dynasties by leaving colossal inheritances in a letter last year.

“I’ve never wished to create a dynasty or pursue any plan that extended beyond the children,” Buffett wrote in the letter. “I know the three well and trust them completely. Future generations are another matter. Who can foresee the priorities, intelligence and fidelity of successive generations to deal with the distribution of extraordinary wealth amid what may be a far different philanthropic landscape?”