Michael Jordan's autographed Air Jordan 1 Exclusives in the "Chicago" colorway from 1985 fetched a record-breaking $560,000 at auction on Sunday (May 17). The sneakers were auctioned through Sotheby's and were expected to go for somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000.
This sale broke the previous record for $437,500, paid by Canadian entrepreneur Miles Nadal for a pair of unworn 1972 Nike Waffle Racing Flat "Moon Shoes" through Sotheby's in 2019. Both the Waffle Racing Flat and the Jordan 1's were from Jordan Geller's private collection. Gellar is the founder of the world's first sneaker museum, Shoezeum, where the shoes were previously on display.
Gellar told Fox Business, "People would come and visit and almost pray to them. They would just sit there and look at them in awe thinking 'those are the shoes that Michael Jordan laced up with his own hands and wore on his own feet.' There is just something about those shoes that everybody gravitated towards."
When speaking about the choice to sell the shoes, Gellar stated, "I've owned the pair since 2012, and I truly cherish them. I never thought about selling them until the ESPN Michael Jordan and Chicago Bulls documentary, 'The Last Dance' started airing. Ever since, there has been a surge of interest in Michael Jordan memorabilia." Gellar decided with the hype of the documentary, it was the perfect time to sell the sneakers.
Source: Fox Business
