A Pair of Michael Jordan’s Game-Worn Sneakers Sold for $615,000 at Christie’s, Setting a New Record for the Category

A pair of game-worn Michael
Jordan shoes just shattered the record for most expensive sneakers
ever sold at auction—which is particularly appropriate given that
he was wearing them when he shattered a backboard in 1985. (In
fact, they still have a piece of glass lodged in the
sole.)

Estimated to go for between
$650,000 and $850,000, the black, white, and red Air Jordan 1’s
sold for $615,000 at Christie’s Original
Air online sale last
Thursday. They were worn by Jordan during an exhibition game held
in Trieste, Italy, in the summer of 1985. They didn’t carry a
guarantee.

“This sale once again confirms
that sneakers are cultural artifacts and deserve to be listed
alongside other luxury items in the collectibles marketplace,” said
John McPheters, co-CEO of Stadium Goods, which partnered with
Christie’s for the sale, in a statement. 

Up until now, Christie’s biggest
rival, Sotheby’s, had seemingly cornered the shoe game. Sotheby’s
hosted its first dedicated sneaker auction in July 2019, and was responsible for setting
the previous single lot
record when it sold another pair of ‘85
Air Jordans for
$560,000—more than three times the
kicks’ high estimate—in May. 

Now, it seems as if other
auction houses have caught on to the potential of this new
territory.

Indeed, Christie’s first foray
into sneaker auctions proved to be a hit, bringing in $931,875 in
total, with only two of the 11 lots failing to find a buyer.
Perhaps more important to the auction house, though, was the fact
that more than 70 percent of registered bidders were new to the
auction house. 

Caitlin Donovan, Christie’s head
of sale and vice president of handbags and accessories, noted the
amount of attention the sale garnered online, explaining that it
was “among the highest attended online events Christie’s has hosted
since lockdown.”

“This highly-curated sale marks
Christie’s entry into a new collecting category that merges sports’
history, art, fashion, and contemporary lifestyle,” Donovan said in
a statement. “What’s special about this collecting area is that it
appeals to a multitude of audiences, seasoned Christie’s clients
and new and emerging collectors alike, with these objects viewed
all at once as a luxury item, piece of art, and part of pop-culture
and sports’ history.” 

Other highlights from the
“Original Air” sale include a pair of the Air Jordan 7s that Jordan
wore during the gold medal game of the 1992 “Dream Team” Olympics,
which brought in $112,500; and a pair of 1985 Air Jordan 1 TYPS,
which took in an additional  $62,500.

The post A Pair of Michael Jordan’s Game-Worn Sneakers Sold
for $615,000 at Christie’s, Setting a New Record for the
Category appeared first on artnet News.