The 20 Most Collectible Air Jordans of All Time

Year (of Sneaker): 2011

The V wasn't the first BIN 23 Air Jordan, but it was the only one inspired by a pair of Air Jordans that Michael Jordan actually wore on the court (black/metallic silver Vs with white laces). Ideally, Air Jordans should always have that connection to the court.

Year (of Sneaker): 2008

The first Air Jordan XX3 to release, the "Titanium" XX3 dropped in just 23 doors worldwide. With sub-1,000 production numbers and a colorway that harkened back to Mike's time at North Carolina, these were simply one of the best post-retirement Air Jordans yet.

Year (of Sneaker): 2007

The Motorsports Air Jordan VI released to the public, but the IV and V were friends and family only. The UNC-like V is nice, but the IV-the Mars Blackmon edition with the red flipped for blue-is one of the coolest friends and family Air Jordan releases. It's like a True Blue IV.

Year (of Sneaker): 1995

The City Pack of Air Jordan Xs released in 1995 were a statement that, moving forward, the Air Jordan legacy would be carried on by other players in other cities. There was Kendall Gill in Seattle, Nick Anderson in Orlando, Hubert Davis in New York, Mitch Richmond in Sacramento, and Scottie Pippen in Chicago (not to mention Harold Miner in Miami). Many collectors have one or two, not many have the whole set.

Year (of Sneaker): 1995

How rare is the SLAM 100 Air Jordan XX1 SE? Let's put it this way-I'm a former editor in chief and one of the founding editors of KICKS, and even I don't have a pair. So, um, good luck with that.

Year (of Sneaker): 1987

The Air Jordan II originally released back in 1987, and there still hasn't been a totally proper retro (although the CDP pair came close). The original pairs were made in Italy and came in a white winged box. Quite the elegant shift from the more workmanlike originals. You won't find a wearable pair, but they're still well worth having in the collection.

Year (of Sneaker): 1985

People still argue about the Air Jordan KO now, nearly 30 years after its original release. Did the "KO" stand for knockout? Knockoff? And what were they for anyway? There have been reasonably accurate retros recently, although the originals from 1985 should still be plenty wearable.

Year (of Sneaker): 2012

Both Phil Knight and Tinker Hatfield (along with a lot of other original Nike employees) were members of the Oregon track team, which means the U of O will get exclusives until the end of time (or the end of Nike, whichever comes first). The "Pit Crew" IIIs feature duck feet on the back panel rather than a Jumpman or Nike Air, and the classic black IIIs are eminently more wearable than the equally rare metallic green accented IVs.

Year (of Sneaker): 1992

By the time the Dream Team formed like Voltron to annihilate the world in Barcelona, Michael Jordan's fame was already worldwide. But the 1992 Olympics did show beyond a shadow of a doubt just how large that fame was. And while John Stockton anonymously toured the city with his family and Charles Barkley went on late-night sojourns, Jordan enjoyed no such reprieve. He did have some great shoes, though. And while the Olympic VIIs have been retroed several times now, none have come close to the originals.

Year (of Sneaker): 2005

Eminem has actually gotten two Jordans, this IV and a II. But it was the blue IV, produced in ultra-limited numbers to celebrate his "Encore" release, that remains a grail to many. Someone should have sent a pair to Stan.

Year (of Sneaker): 1988

Aside from the 1, there might not be another Air Jordan more important to the line than the Air Jordan III. The story has been told all too often-how a former architect named Tinker Hatfield took over the line, and used his architecture training to come up with an entirely new way to approach signature product. And how Michael Jordan, who'd grown somewhat dissatisfied with Nike, eagerly rejoined the fold when he saw the new shoe. The original III-in any colorway-is a symbol, not to mention a dope shoe.

Year (of Sneaker): 1985

The white/black/red Air Jordan 1 may not be the one that gets all the press-it was never banned-and certainly isn't the rarest, but it's undoubtedly the one Mike wore on court the most. As such, it was a supremely significant shoe. Jordan wore it in the regular season, he wore it in the 1985 All-Star game, he even wore it in the 1986 NBA Playoffs when he scored 63 points at Boston Garden and Larry Bird called him "God disguised as Michael Jordan." Plus, they're still wearable.

Year (of Sneaker): 1985

While the original Air Jordan came out in a multitude of colors, some of which still may be undocumented except in old copies of BOON. But the Air Jordan 1 Low was much simpler. You could get it in any color you wanted as long as that color was either white/natural or white/metallic blue. For some reason the current Air Jordan 1 Low is cut entirely differently, so the only way to find a "real" Air Jordan 1 Low is to track down a pair from 1985. There goes the rent money.

Year (of Sneaker): 1985-1996

Before Michael Jordan's second retirement in 1998, only a very select few players received Air Jordan PEs. Outside of the "City Pack" X group, there was B.J. Armstrong, there was Latrell Sprewell, there was Penny Hardaway, and that was about it. And those guys only got to wear their own Jordans while Mike was retired the first time between 1993 and 1995. All-Stars aren't stupid. And these PEs aren't easy to find.

Year (of Sneaker): 1985

It was the one that started it all: The black/red Air Jordan 1 in the black/red Nike box. Pretty much any Jordan collector should have a pair of these, preferably with the original $65 price tag from a department store intact. From such simple beginnings an empire was born.

Year (of Sneaker): 2005

There were just 72 pairs of the MA-1 flight jacket inspired UNDFTD Air Jordan IV released, which made the 2011 Air MAG drop look like a GR. Distributed by raffle and auction only, this was one that was nearly impossible to get from day one. Forget the car payment, it's time to sell the car.

Year (of Sneaker): 2003

When Kobe Bryant was a sneaker free agent in 2003, Jordan Brand laced the Lakers superstar with purple and gold PEs of some of their most iconic retro models-the III, the VII, the VIII. It's possible to find pairs now, as long as you don't mind not eating for a couple of months.

Year (of Sneaker): 1985-2013

This entire list could have been odd one-off samples and PEs, so we thought it best to gather them in one place. Whether it be a retro like the "Infrared" VIs with the midsole colors reversed and Infrared "Nike Air" on the heel, or weartest early models that paired a new upper with the previous model's sole unit, these are some of the rarest Air Jordans, period. It's either get very lucky on eBay or have good friends in Beaverton.

Year (of Sneaker): 1995

It's kind of funny, because Michael Jordan didn't have such good luck in the XIs while wearing 45. His double nickel against the Knicks came in the "Chicago" Xs, and he only won one playoff series-against the lowly Charlotte Hornets-while wearing No. 45 and the XIs. He switched back to No. 23 against the Orlando Magic in the second round, but to no avail-and for the first time since 1991, he went home early. But of all the samples of all the Air Jordans, the "45" XIs remain the most coveted. (And the most faked. Be careful out there.)

Year (of Sneaker): 1985-1998

As if there could possibly be a better Air Jordan to have in your collection. And while we're not saying don't get anything from his Wizards days-a pair of game-worn True Blue IIIs would be cool to own-it's the Bulls pairs that you want. Bonus if it's a PE (like, black/metallic Vs with the 23) or a playoff pair. And if you can get your hands on the 1s he wore during his "last" game at MSG, well, you're the king. Or Spike Lee.