Air Jordans Donated to Shelter Sold for $51K

That's more than double the highest estimate at Sotheby's
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 15, 2023 9:12 AM CST
Updated Dec 18, 2023 5:50 PM CST
Rare Air Jordans May Fetch $20K for Homeless Shelter
This photo provided by the Portland Rescue Mission shows Nike design legend Tinker Hatfield as he authenticates a pair of gold Nike Air Jordan 3 sneakers.   (Aaron Ankrom/Portland Rescue Mission via AP)
UPDATE Dec 18, 2023 5:50 PM CST

Watching a countdown of the auction's final minutes on Monday, Erin Holcomb couldn't believe it: The sale price kept jumping for the rare, gold Nike Air Jordan 3s that were anonymously dropped in the donation chute of the Oregon shelter where she works in Portland. The sneakers, one of just a few custom pairs that had been made for filmmaker Spike Lee, ultimately sold for $50,800—more than double the high end of the predicted sale price at the Sotheby's auction. All proceeds will benefit the Portland Rescue Mission, which has served people struggling with homelessness, hunger, and addiction since 1949. "We couldn't believe it," Holcomb tells the AP. "The generosity of this moment has been a huge celebration for our whole organization."

Dec 15, 2023 9:12 AM CST

The shiny, gold Nike sneakers were hard to miss in the donation pile at a shelter in Portland, Oregon, earlier this year. They were Air Jordan 3s, size 12 1/2, and one of just a few custom pairs that had been made for filmmaker Spike Lee. Now they're up for auction, where they could fetch $20,000 to benefit the shelter, the AP reports. The shoes were anonymously dropped in the donation chute at the Portland Rescue Mission in the spring. A formerly homeless man in the mission's long-term shelter program found them while sorting through donations and brought them to the attention of the staff, according to a blog post on the mission's website this week.

Nike designer Tinker Hatfield designed the kicks in 2019 for Lee, who wore his pair to the Academy Awards that year when he accepted an Oscar for his BlacKkKlansmen screenplay. The donated sneakers weren't Lee's personal pair, but were among a few made for him to give out to his inner circle, the Portland Rescue Mission said. Hatfield visited the shelter and authenticated the shoes. He also signed a replacement box and donated other Nike merchandise. The company is based in nearby Beaverton, Oregon. "I'm thrilled the shoes ended up here," Hatfield said in a statement shared by the Portland Rescue Mission. "It's a happy ending to a really great project."

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The shoes are on auction at Sotheby's until Monday, and could fetch $15,000 to $20,000, according to the auction house. Sotheby's is waiving its fee, so all of the proceeds will benefit the shelter, which has helped people struggling with homelessness, hunger, and addiction since 1949. The identity of whoever donated the shoes remains a mystery.

(More Air Jordan stories.)

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