One of the first pairs of shoes made by Nike has broken the world auction record for a pair of sneakers, selling for a record-breaking $437,500 at an auction on 23rd July, according to New York auction house, Sotheby’s.
The shoes, famously called the ‘Moon Shoe,’ was designed by Nike founder Bill Bowerman for runners at the Olympic trials in 1972. These waffle-soled running shoes are only one of the twelve pairs ever made. Also, the auctioned pair was the only one that has never been worn.
The shoes were bought by Canadian investor and car collector Miles Nadal, who plans to display these running shoes at his private museum in Toronto, Canada. Earlier, Nadal also bought 99 other rare of limited collection of sneakers from Sotheby’s privately for a whopping $850,000.
“I am thrilled to acquire the iconic Nike ‘Moon Shoes,’ one of the rarest pairs of sneakers ever produced, and a true historical artifact in sports history and pop culture,” Nadal said.
The earlier record for the highest price for sneakers at a public auction was for a pair of signed Converse shoes worn by iconic basketball player Micheal Jordan at the 1984 Olympic basketball final. It sold for $190,373 in California in 2017.
Sotheby’s, which generally known for auctioning off exclusive art pieces, teamed up with streetwear marketplace Stadium Goods for this auction to sell of 100 of the rare sneakers ever made.
