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Sneakerheads, rejoice: A collection of Michael Jordan game-worn sneakers is going to auction and is projected to fetch $7 million to $10 million, showcasing the latest major sale in what remains a boom time for sports memorabilia and trading cards.
Sotheby’s is planning an auction, starting Feb. 2, of an unprecedented collection of Jordan shoes dubbed the “Dynasty Collection.” The set contains a single Air Jordan shoe from each of the clinching games in Jordan’s six NBA Finals appearances, all autographed by the basketball icon. The shoes were originally given to former Chicago Bulls public relations executive Tim Hallam, who then sold them to a private collector, who in turn has retained Sotheby’s for the latest auction. Sotheby’s had planned to make the shoes available in a private sale before shifting to an auction.
The “Dynasty Collection” is predicted to smash the existing sneaker sales record of $2.2 million for a single pair of shoes, another pair of Air Jordans worn by His Airness during Game 2 of the 1998 NBA Finals. To that end, Sotheby’s is touting the set as “the most valuable and significant collection of Air Jordan sneakers ever brought to market.”
Memorabilia Rush
The “Dynasty Collection” sale furthers what has been an extended run of new records set in the last two years across the memorabilia business. Among the prominent deals in that time frame:
- $12.6 million sale in 2022 of a Mickey Mantle baseball card from 1952.
- $10.1 million sale in 2022 of a Jordan jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
- $9.3 million sale in 2022 of Diego Maradona’s famous “Hand of God” jersey from the 1986 World Cup.
- $7.8 million sale last month of a collection of Lionel Messi jerseys from the 2022 World Cup.
- $7.25 million sale in 2022 of a Honus Wagner baseball card from 1909.
- $7.2 million sale last month of a Babe Ruth baseball card from 1914.
The run of record-breaking deals advances the concept of sports memorabilia and trading cards existing as an asset class of its own.
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