Nike’s famous ‘Moon Shoe’ and limited-edition trainers produced by Kanye West, Air Jordan and Adidas will be sold

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Sotheby’s in New York has announced its first-ever auction dedicated to sneakers.

The auction house will sell 100 pairs of the rarest sneakers ever produced, including a sample of one of the first Nike running shoes with a pre-sale high estimate of $160,000.

The Nike “Moon Shoe” – whose treads resembled those of the Apollo astronauts – is one of only 12 pairs created. It was designed by Nike co-founder and track coach Bill Bowerman for runners at the 1972 Olympics trials and the pair up for auction is handmade, according to streetwear marketplace Stadium Goods, which is teaming up with Sotheby’s for the event.

Other sneakers include 2011 and 2016 versions of the Back to the Future Part II limited-edition shoes by Nike that were inspired by the 1989 film starring Michael J Fox.

The 2016 version of the futuristic shoe, complete with self-lacing technology, is expected to sell for between $50,000 and $70,000.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Nike Mags sneaker, the design worn by Marty McFly character in Back to the Future Part II and one of only 1,500 pairs made Photograph: HANDOUT/Reuters

“We’ve long talked about how sneakers are this generation’s luxury fashion, and being able to collaborate with a brand with the history and esteem of Sotheby’s is further proof of that,” John McPheters, co-founder of New York-based Stadium Goods, said in a statement.

Other shoes in the online sale, beginning on Thursday and ending on 23 July, include sought-after and limited-edition sneakers produced by Adidas, Air Jordan and rapper Kanye West’s Yeezy collection.

Noah Wunsch, global head of eCommerce at Sotheby’s, said the sneaker sale was bringing together “art, culture and fashion” and marked another step in the auction house’s expansion of offerings of highly coveted luxury goods.

The highest price fetched at public auction for sneakers is thought to be $190,373 in 2017 for a pair of signed Converse shoes said to have been worn by Michael Jordan in the 1984 Olympic basketball final. The shoes were auctioned through California sports memorabilia company SCP.