The Most Expensive Sneakers of All Time

The sneakers, these new collectibles that explode auctions: after the sneakers of Kany West to nearly $ 2 million, back on the 7 pairs that were snatched at unimaginable prices. 

Solid Gold OVO x Air Jordans worth more than $2 million 

Let’s start this list with sneakers literally made of solid gold. This time it’s a collaboration between Nike and Drake. These heavy sneakers (they weigh 22 kg each…) certainly don’t allow you to attempt three-pointers from mid-range. Getting noticed at a social event, though? There, there is a way. That is if you’re willing to pay them $2 million (about 1.9 million euros). 

$1.8 million for Nike Air Yeezy 1s worn by Kanye West 

Initially estimated at 1 million dollars, the sale price of this unique model soared this Monday at a sale organized by the American auction house Sotheby’s. The model holds the record of the most expensive sneaker ever sold at auction. These black high-top sneakers were seen for the very first time on the feet of Kanye West during the 2008 Grammy Awards ceremony. At the time, it was the first prototype of Yeezy. The resulting model was only released in a limited edition in April 2009. 

The precious shoes were acquired by Rares, a platform launched in late March by a former professional American soccer player, Gerome Sapp. He could have bought a 120m2 loft in New York for the same amount, but the sneaker market is the new place to invest. Rares plans to list the Air Yeezy 1 on its platform to allow individuals to buy shares in the pair, just as they would in a listed company. 

Nike Airship valued at $1.5 million 

This pair was once worn by Michael Jordan himself in 1984. Touched by a living legend, these shoes have been auctioned at 1.5 million dollars (about 1.4 million euros). Warn your banker if you want to make a compulsive purchase: the following pairs have a price exceeding one million dollars. 

$615,000 for Nike Air Jordan 1 

The record was held since mid-August 2020 by Nike’s Air Jordan 1s, which went for $615,000 at a Christie’s auction. These shoes, red and white marked by the black “swoosh” (the comma of Nike) of the famous model Air Jordan 1 Chicago, were worn by Michael Jordan during a make-believe game in 1985. The basketball player had taken off to dunk, causing a shock that exploded the Plexiglas. 

Nike Air Jordan 1 autographed by Michael Jordan at $560,000 

Three months earlier, another pair of Nike Air Jordan 1, worn by the basketball player Michael Jordan during a game, was sold at auction by Sotheby’s for $ 560,000. The Air Jordan 1 is the first model specially created by Nike for Michael Jordan and worn by the player during his first season in the NBA. This model, manufactured in 1985, was signed by the champion himself. 

One of the first pairs of Nike, the “Moon shoe,” sold at $437,500 

At an online auction organized by Sotheby’s in July 2019, one of the first pairs of sports shoes produced by Nike was sold for 437,500 dollars. The “Moon Shoe” resembles the footprints of American astronauts who walked on the moon in 1969. The model had been designed for U.S. track and field team competitors for the 1972 Olympics and was the only one of the twelve existing ones that had never been worn. 

$190,373 for this pair of Converse Fastbreak shoes worn by Michael Jordan in 1984 

Our top 5 go back to 2017 when a pair of Converse Fastbreak shoes went for $190,373 at an auction held by SCP Auction. The shoes were worn again by American basketball star Michael Jordan during the 1984 Olympic finals in Los Angeles. 

Sotheby’s has already announced a new sneaker sale online, with another pair of Air Jordan 1s worn by Michael Jordan during his first NBA season as the top lot. According to analysts at the financial firm Cowen, the global market for the resale of vintage sneakers could be worth $30 billion by 2030. It is estimated between 109,000 and 164,000 dollars. Usually, not enough to dethrone the Air Yeezy 1 of the former candidate for the White House.