Sotheby’s to Showcase Most Valuable Sneakers Ever Offered at Auction at Special Luxury Sale in Las Vegas | 24 october
This month, Sotheby’s will offer for sale a legendary piece from the history of basketball and sport: the the oldest known Michael Jordan Regular Season Game Wear Nikes – the Nike Air Ships. Awarded in Jordan’s 5th NBA Game of his rookie season on November 1, 1984, the sneakers are the first regular-season pair in Jordan’s unprecedented NBA career to hit the market, and are a precursor to the genesis of the Air Jordan line. Estimated to sell for $ 1 / 1.5 million, the Air Ships carry the highest estimate for a pair of sneakers ever offered at auction, and are among the most valuable sneakers of all time, after the Sotheby’s record sale last year of Kanye West “Grammy Worn” Nike Air Yeezy 1 Prototypes as of 2008, which sold for $ 1.8 million through a private sale.
The sneakers will be offered at Sotheby’s Icons of Excellence & High Luxury auction – a multi-category luxury sale, featuring jewelry, watches, vintage cars, sneakers, designer handbags and more – which will take place live from the ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas October 24. The sale is organized as part of the presentation by MGM Resorts and Sotheby’s of a first auction of works by Pablo Picasso from the MGM Resorts Fine Art Collection, which will take place live from Bellagio on Saturday 23 October.
The unique collaboration between Sotheby’s and MGM for the Picasso auction marks the first time that Sotheby’s has hosted a branded sale in North America outside of its iconic New York auction location. With Icons of Excellence & High Luxury, Sotheby’s will also present a specially designed exhibition experience and auction room at ARIA, which will provide a showcase for this presentation of luxury items. The exhibit will be open to the public October 21-24, and the live auction will begin at 11 a.m. PT from ARIA, where it will be streamed live worldwide via Sothebys.com. Bidders can participate from the live auction room or via online auctions at Sothebys.com. A complementary online luxury auction will be auctioned from October 21 to November 4, and will additionally feature a wide range of jewelry, watches, wines and spirits, and handbags, among others.
Josh Pullan, Head of Sotheby’s Global Luxury Division, says: “We have chosen iconic examples from our jewelry, watches, fashion and automotive categories that capture the spirit and identity of this legendary entertainment capital. Building on the success of our Luxury Weeks in New York, Hong Kong and Geneva, we are delighted to present for the very first time a carefully selected group of items featuring some of Sotheby’s top luxury categories in Las Vegas. With attractive prices ranging from $ 1,500 to $ 1.5 million, there is something for everyone to bid on and win! “
Dual Signature Michael Jordan Game Worn and Nike Air Ship – Oldest Known Regular Season Game Worn Michael Jordan Nike
Estimate $ 1 / 1.5 million
Brahm Wachter, Head of Sotheby’s Streetwear and Modern Collectables, comments: “Michael Jordan and the Jordan brand have helped redefine what a signature line could be formed around an athlete. These sneakers are a crucial part of the genesis of this story. This pair, from Michael’s 5th NBA Game, really touches two worlds as the Nike Air Ship holds a special place in the hearts of sneakerheads as a forerunner of the Air Jordan 1, but beyond that is also everything. simply an incredible artifact that dates back to the start of Michael Jordan’s rookie season. We are excited to unveil this stunning piece worn by one of the best athletes to play any sport, as Sotheby’s continues to lead the market for modern sneakers and collectibles.
In 1984, Nike gifted Michael Jordan with a signature line of shoes and clothing – a pivotal and unprecedented move to prompt Jordan to sign with Nike. It was the first time the brand had done something like this, and it paved the way for a lot of player collaborations that we’re seeing now. The “Air Ship” – designed by Bruce Kilgore – was originally released in 1984 and was the first basketball shoe worn by Michael Jordan as an NBA professional. In preseason and the first games of his rookie year, Michael wore a white and red colourway as well as a black and red colourway (now known as “Bred”) as Nike Creative Director Peter Moore. , had specially designed for him. However, when Michael joined the NBA that same year, the Air Jordan 1 still wasn’t ready for him. In the process of creating the Air Jordan 1, Nike provided Jordan with a limited number of Nike Air Ships, some of which had “Air Jordan” or “Nike Air” printed on the heels. Unlike other versions that have already surfaced on the market, this pair simply says “Air,†which can be seen in in-game footage from November 1, 1984.
Michael’s Black & Red Air Ships became controversial after the NBA ban sent a letter to Nike in February 1985, informing the company that Jordan’s colorful shoes were a violation of the league’s uniformity clause. . Nike responded by creating an infamous ad campaign around Jordan’s “forbidden” shoes (advertisement of the first Air Jordans) noting that even though “the NBA has excluded them from the game, luckily the NBA can’t stop you from wearing them. “. When the Air Jordan 1s came out, they established MJ as the league’s leader in footwear style.
These White & Red Air Ships are therefore a remarkable Nike artifact, and first hit the market in excellent condition from the Denver Nuggets Ball Boy to whom they were originally offered, Mr. Tommie Tim III Lewis.
The auction will also include a pair of Air Jordan 1 “Player Sample” made exclusively for Michael Jordan in 1985, but which have never been worn and remain in mint condition, never laced (est. 50/70 000 $).
Bruce Springsteen’s working manuscript for “Born To Run”
Estimate $ 200 / $ 300,000
The sale will also be marked with one of the earliest manuscripts of Bruce Springsteen’s beloved American anthem, “Born to run.” The 1975 hit catapulted ‘The Boss’ to mega-star rank and remains a beloved classic, having been ranked as the singer’s greatest song by Rolling Stone magazine in 2013, and used by the artist as the title of his 2016 autobiography. Written entirely by Springsteen over a period of six months of editing and reworking, this first version – considered the first – traces the beginnings of the success and the singer’s ongoing creative process. Formerly in the collection of the former director of Springsteen and Born to run producer, Mike Appel, the manuscript is up for auction with an estimate of $ 200 / 300,000.
Although Springsteen is known to have an intensive writing process, few “Born to Run” manuscripts are known, the present example being one that crucially includes a version of the chorus. Captured here, perhaps for the first time, is one of Springsteen’s most iconic lyrics, albeit in a very nascent version: “You can stay in this town kill yourself / deaf-mute or you can ride (leave) with me if / you have the courage to come you’re not too / young Tamps like us (me) baby we were born for / Classes . “
The majority of the lines are apparently unreleased and unrecorded, but Springsteen reworked a lot to produce what would become the recorded version. This constant revision is evident in his choice of “we” over “me” as quoted above. Imagery and tone are constant from this manuscript to the final song. Most importantly, this manuscript exposes the lyrical developments of one of America’s favorite rock songs and embodies its ideology: escape, optimism, rebellion, and the promise of time. Although different, the lyrics still impress the listener with the romantic and passionate feeling of being “Born to Run”.
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