A very rare pair of Nike sneakers manufactured in 1972 has broken the auction pricing record for a pair of sneakers. On Tuesday (July 23, 2019) collector Miles Nadal purchased a pair of Nike “Moon Shoes” for $437,500 at an auction hosted by Sotheby’s New York in collaboration with sneaker reseller Stadium Goods.
The Nike shoes were part of a lot of 100 very rare sneakers that Nadal purchased for an additional $850,000.
The shoe is significant because it is one of a group of 12 pairs and was designed by Nike co-founder and Oregon University Track Coach Bill Bowerman for runners participating in the 1972 Olympic Trials. The shoe purchased by Nadal is thought to be the only unworn pair among those that still exist.
In 1964, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman founded footwear distribution company Blue Ribbon Sports, which would later become Nike. Bowerman is famed for using his wife’s waffle iron in 1971 to create a lightweight sole with grip, an experiment that led to the specifications for the Moon Shoe purchased by Nadal.
Nadal plans to display the sneakers at his private museum in Toronto, the Dare to Dream Automobile Museum. The museum is open to Nadal’s friends, family, charitable organizations and others upon request.
Check out the nearly half-million-dollar shoe below.
