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Nikes from 1984
Photo: - / dpa
The uninitiated should only recognize a pair of white and red basketball shoes.
Slightly crumpled, simple in design, very much in the style of the eighties.
But connoisseurs and collectors know that these US size 13 sneakers had a very prominent first owner.
This is reflected in the price that the shoes have now achieved at auction
The sneakers from ex-basketball professional Michael Jordan (58) went in Las Vegas for 1.47 million dollars (about 1.26 million euros) over the auction table.
The auction house Sotheby's announced on Sunday that the buyer was Nick Fiorella.
He is a well-known in the scene owner of sports trading cards valued in the millions.
Now he also owns the oldest "Nike Air Ships" shoes sold to date, which Jordan wore at a game in his first season in the US NBA league, the statement said.
The red and white shoes were previously owned by a former Denver Nuggets ball boy, to whom they were once given.
It's not just Jordans that fetch high prices
Jordan wore the shoes at the time because the copies of his own "Air Jordan" range were not yet ready.
Today the series is one of the most popular basketball shoes of all, rare pieces repeatedly fetch horrific prices.
In general, there is currently a hype about rare sneakers.
As recently as April, a pair of sneakers worn by US rapper Kanye West at the 2008 Grammy Awards sold for $ 1.8 million - the highest price ever achieved for a pair of sneakers, according to Sotheby's.
The black leather shoes in sizes 45-46 were made exclusively for West's appearance and marked the start of his own shoe line.
In addition, exceptional trainers have made headlines again and again at auctions with high prices.
Last year, for example, a pair of white trainers that a co-founder of the sporting goods company Nike had handcrafted around 50 years ago was auctioned for $ 162,500.
Shortly before, a pair of Michael Jordan sneakers had fetched $ 560,000.
jok / dpa