Nike has a deep heritage in running and when a piece of history pops up, it can command a decent chunk of change. Retired runner Bruce Mortenson held on to his 1972 Nike Moon Shoes for years, but decided to put them up for auction after hearing that another 1972 Olympics trials runner, Mark Covert, had sold his Moon Shoes to Oregon sneaker collector Jordan Geller.
Mortenson, 72, also acquired his pair during the 1972 Olympic trials. He didn't make the team, but that's seemingly had no effect on the value of the sneakers.
The retired runner enlisted the help of Geller to put the sneakers up on eBay and to much surprise, they sold for $11,200. “Initially I thought the shoes would fetch $5,000-$10,000," Geller told Twin Cities. "I was pleasantly surprised that they sold for more than that." Geller went on to say that they were sold to one of the biggest collectors in the world based out of Malaysia.
This sale really goes to show what a piece of history costs — no laces, crumbled soles and all.
