PARIS, July 10 — On the same day the Olympics opens this month, Sotheby’s will put on sale running shoes made by Nike’s co-founder for 1960s Olympian Harry Jerome that could fetch US$1 million (RM4.19 million).
The rare pair of track and field spikes designed by Bill Bowerman for Jerome, a Canadian sprinter who won 100-metre bronze at the 1964 Tokyo Games, features a red arrow that was a prelude to the famous Nike swoosh logo.
Sotheby’s in New York will put the white lace-up shoes on sale online from July 23 to August 2.
The auction house estimates that they could go for between US$800,000 and 1.2 million dollars.
The sale comes as the market for rare sports shoes, previously seen as niche, soars.
In April, a pair of Nike Air Yeezy 1s worn by rapper Kanye West sold for US$1.8 million, triple the previous record for sneakers.
The shoes beat the record held by a pair of Nike Air Jordan 1s which sold for US$615,000 in August 2020 at a Christie’s auction.
Sotheby’s said the shoe by Bowerman, who founded Nike with Phil Knight, “represents an important chapter in the origins of the Nike brand.”
The auction house is also selling a pair of Converse Fastbreak sneakers that basketball legend Michael Jordan wore during the 1984 Olympic trials.
They are expected to fetch up to US$100,000. — ETX Studio
