Sotheby's to auction rare Olympics collection

With the Tokyo Olympics approaching, auction house Sotheby’s has debuted The Olympic Collection, an assemblage of memorabilia, sneakers, and collectibles related to Olympic athletes.

The sale will encompass over 50 items, many without reserve, and launch the same day as the Summer Olympic Games on July 23rd.

Rare items include a “Prototype Logo” track spikes, handmade in the 1960s by Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman for Canada track and field sprinter Harry Jerome. The shoes are expected to fetch up to 1.2 million dollars.

Obsessed with weight and performance, Bowerman would build shoes for his University of Oregon runners from scratch, often using an assemblage of raw materials. This pair represents an important chapter in the origin of one of America’s greatest companies, Nike.

Another lot features a pair of Converse Fastbreak sneakers worn by basketball icon Michael Jordan during the 1984 Olympic Trials, with an estimated value of 80,000 to 100,000 dollars.

According to the catalogue notes these are some of the rarest Michael Jordan worn and signed sneakers in existence as this pair was worn by Mr. Jordan during the 1984 Olympic Trials in the nascency of his career.

Mr. Jordan was known to wear Converse during his college years before he signed with Nike. He preferred Converse as they were lower to the ground, a concern that he carried over to Nike when working with Peter Moore in regards to the design of the Air Jordan 1.