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The original first pair of Air Jordan sneakers smash auction records

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Sotheby’s is currently auctioning Michael Jordan’s autographed game-worn Nike Air Jordan 1s from 1985, with the auction set to close at midday on May 17, 2020 EDT. The shoes were the first ever signature sneakers and with Jordan top-of-mind thanks to The Last Dance documentary airing globally during the COVID-19 sports vacuum, look set to smash auction block records having already reached $288,000 with two days to go.

Sneakerhead culture has enveloped the world in the last few decades and it is illustrative to turn to Wikipedia’s entry on the subject to comprehend the cultural gravitas of this first ever pair of Air Jordans: “The birth of sneakerhead culture in the United States came in the 1980s and can be attributed to two major sources: basketball, specifically the emergence of Michael Jordan and his eponymous Air Jordan line of shoes released in 1985, and the growth of hip hop music. The boom of signature basketball shoes during this era provided the sheer variety necessary for a collecting subculture, while the hip-hop movement gave the sneakers their street credibility as status symbols.”

With $240,000 already bid on the shoes (with 20 percent buyers premium added, that’s $288,000) and the reserve price already met, the shoes are already the most valuable Michael Jordan memorabilia ever sold at auction, having surpassed the $190,373 paid for Michael Jordan’s Converse basketball boots worn in the 1984 Olympics.

Breaking the four-minute-mile barrier was a milestone that many thought was slightly beyond human capability. Once it had been done (by Roger Bannister wearing these shoes in 3:59.4 on May 6, 1954), and the barrier broken, it was done repeatedly from that point forth. It has since been broken by over 1,400 male athletes, and the record for “the mile” currently stands at 3:43.13.
Breaking the four-minute-mile barrier was a milestone that many thought was slightly beyond human capability. Once it had been done (by Roger Bannister wearing these shoes in 3:59.4 on May 6, 1954), and the barrier broken, it was done repeatedly from that point forth. It has since been broken by over 1,400 male athletes, and the record for “the mile” currently stands at 3:43.13.

Christie’s

Other records which might be eclipsed over the coming 44 hours include the previous sports shoe record price of US$411,986 (GBP266,500) fetched by the running shoes in which Roger Bannister famously broke the four-minute-mile and the current sports shoe record price set by the original Nike Waffle Racing flats which sold for a world record $437,500 in 2019.

One of the most significant artefacts in the history of both the Nike brand and sporting culture, this is the Nike “Moon Shoe”. It is one of only a handful of pairs known to exist, of the original handmade running shoe designed by Nike co-founder and Oregon University track coach Bill Bowerman. As the famous story goes, Bowerman was first inspired to create the innovative waffle sole traction pattern found on the brand’s early running shoes by tinkering with his wife’s waffle iron, pouring rubber into the mold to create the first prototype of the sole. The finished design of the traction pattern created better grip and cushion than most running shoes of the time, and the waffle sole was Nike’s first major innovation as a brand. The shoes sold for a world record $437,500 in 2019.
One of the most significant artefacts in the history of both the Nike brand and sporting culture, this is the Nike “Moon Shoe”. It is one of only a handful of pairs known to exist, of the original handmade running shoe designed by Nike co-founder and Oregon University track coach Bill Bowerman. As the famous story goes, Bowerman was first inspired to create the innovative waffle sole traction pattern found on the brand’s early running shoes by tinkering with his wife’s waffle iron, pouring rubber into the mold to create the first prototype of the sole. The finished design of the traction pattern created better grip and cushion than most running shoes of the time, and the waffle sole was Nike’s first major innovation as a brand. The shoes sold for a world record $437,500 in 2019.

Sotheby’s

The long-standing outright most valuable shoes ever to go to auction are the ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland as Dorothy in the 1939 classic movie, The Wizard of Oz. One of three pairs extant that were used in the movie, the pair sold for $666,000 at Christie’s in New York on May 24, 2000.

There is no more iconic piece of movie memorabilia than the Ruby Red Slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Of the three pairs extant, one pair sold for $666,000 at Christie's in New York on May 24, 2000 and the pair from the 2011 Debbie Reynolds Estate Auction were sold privately for a reported $2 million.
There is no more iconic piece of movie memorabilia than the Ruby Red Slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Of the three pairs extant, one pair sold for $666,000 at Christie’s in New York on May 24, 2000 and the pair from the 2011 Debbie Reynolds Estate Auction were sold privately for a reported $2 million.

Debbie Reynolds Auction

The cultural significance of the Air Jordan range cannot be underestimated in framing the value of these shoes.

Beyond the commercial success though, Jordan was the first to ink a deal as a player for a signature sneaker and he paved the way for Scottie Pippen, Penny Hardaway, Charles Barkley, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and LeBron James to have their own signature shoes, and ultimately for the sneaker culture.

The 1985 Air Jordan 1 Vintage Originals were produced for Jordan in the white, black and red of his Chicago Bulls – the colorway he wore most often on court.

In 1984, Nike set out to entice Jordan. Converse had Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and Nike offered him $250,000 a year and his own shoe line: Air Jordan. Nike’s expectations were that it would be selling $3 million a year by the fourth year of the contract. It sold $126 million in the first year and it has grown every year since. Nike’s Jordan Brand generated $3.14 billion in revenue for the 12 months ending May, 2019 and the brand reported its first billion dollar quarter in December, 2019.

The Air Jordan 1s currently at auction were produced between February to April 1985, and were worn by Jordan during an early, pivotal point of his career.

Auction page: Sotheby’s

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