Sneaker fans, rejoice: A collection of Michael Jordan’s game-worn sneakers is headed to auction, expected to fetch between $7 million and $10 million, illustrating a time when sports memorabilia and trading cards were still booming of the latest major auctions.
Sotheby’s is planning to auction an unprecedented collection of Jordan shoes, dubbed the “Dynasty Collection,” starting on February 2. The pack includes a pair of Air Jordans from each of Jordan’s key games in his six NBA Finals appearances, all autographed by the basketball icon. The shoes were originally given to former Chicago Bulls PR executive Tim Hallam, who subsequently sold them to a private collector who in turn retained them for Sotheby’s latest auction . Sotheby’s had planned to hold a private sale before moving to an auction.
The “Dynasty Collection” is expected to break the existing sneaker sales record of $2.2 million for a single pair of the same pair of Air Jordans he wore in Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals. To that end, Sotheby’s is promoting the set as “the most valuable and important collection of Air Jordan sneakers on the market.”
Rush Souvenirs
The “Dynasty Collection” further refreshes a series of new records set by the souvenir industry in the past two years. Notable transactions during this time include:
- A 1952 Mickey Mantle baseball card will sell for $12.6 million in 2022.
- A Jordan jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals sold for $10.1 million in 2022.
- Diego Maradona’s famous “Hand of God” jersey from the 1986 World Cup is selling for $9.3 million in 2022.
- Sales of the 2022 World Cup Lionel Messi jersey collection reached $7.8 million last month.
- A 1909 Honus Wagner baseball card will sell for $7.25 million in 2022.
- Last month, a 1914 Babe Ruth baseball card sold for $7.2 million.
A series of record-breaking deals advances the concept of existing sports memorabilia and trading cards as an asset class in its own right.