by Brandon Richard
It's said that owning a piece of history is priceless, but auction houses like Heritage and SCP exist to put history into the hands of collectors for a fee. Some of most consistent big sellers obtained by these auctioneers are game-worn sneakers, which can fetch a pretty penny from the right buyer.
Recently, Footwear News took a closer look at Heritage and SCP's closings and found a surprising amount of pairs that sold for $10,000 or more. Most are said to have belonged to Michael Jordan, but there are pairs from LeBron James, Larry Bird, Dr. J, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and even Muhammad Ali in the mix.
Perhaps they should have factored Grey Flannel into the equation — the auctioneer is responsible for some of the most expensive sneaker closings of all-time, including Michael Jordan's $104,765 Air Jordan 12s from the "Flu Game."
Read on for a rundown of 11 pairs of game-worn shoes that commanded big bucks on the auction block, courtesy of Footwear News.
11. Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Worn by Julius Erving
1.
Price: $10,025
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions
10. adidas Low-Top Worn by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
3.
Price: $10,157
Auctioneer: Heritage Auctions
9. Air Jordan 1 Worn by Michael Jordan
5.
Price: $11,956
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions
8. adidas Boxing Boot Worn by Muhammad Ali
7.
Price: $13,045
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions
7. Air Jordan 1 Worn by Michael Jordan
9.
Price: $14,700
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions
6. Air Jordan 11 "Concord" Worn by Michael Jordan
11.
Price: $15,052
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions
5. Converse Weapon Worn by Larry Bird
13.
Price: $18,678
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions
4. Air Jordan 12 "Taxi" Worn by Michael Jordan
15.
Price: $20,315
Auctioneer: Heritage Auctions
3. Air Jordan 7 "Olympic" Worn by Michael Jordan
17.
Price: $23,900
Auctioneer: Heritage Auctions
2. Nike LeBron 10 Worn by LeBron James
19.
Price: $27,584
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions
1. Nike Air Ship Worn by Michael Jordan
21.
Price: $71,554
Auctioneer: SCP Auctions