Jordan sneakers sell for $120,000
Aug. 30—HIGH POINT — If you thought the cost of sneakers was getting out of hand, just wait till you read this: A 40-year-old pair of used Converse high-tops sold over the weekend for, ahem, $120,000.
Of course, the sneakers once belonged to Michael Jordan — who wore them on the court and on campus during his freshman year at the University of North Carolina, when the Tar Heels won a national championship — so that may have jacked up the price a bit. Oh, and they were autographed by Jordan, too.
An unidentified buyer bid $120,000 for the iconic shoes, which were being auctioned by Heritage Auctions of Dallas, Texas.
At least half of the proceeds will be given to the UNC basketball program.
"We were thrilled with the amount," said Mary Eliza Duckett of High Point, whose family put the shoes up for auction.
"We were thrilled that they sold and that we are able to give some money to Carolina."
As reported by The High Point Enterprise last week, the sneakers had spent the past three decades in Duckett's attic.
She'd been given the shoes by her brother-in-law, Chuck Duckett, who was the student manager of the 1982 national championship team and had been given the shoes by Jordan himself.
Earlier this year, at the championship team's 40-year reunion, Duckett reminded Jordan of the shoes he'd given him.
Together, they agreed to put the shoes up for auction and give at least half of the proceeds to the Tar Heel basketball program.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the successful sale of the sneakers, Mary Eliza Duckett said she's been rummaging through her attic again.
"I'm looking for a Mickey Mantle baseball card," she joked.
jtomlin@hpenews.com — 336-888-3579
