CHICAGO, IL, USA, March 4, 2021 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Grandma's 1985 Michael Jordan Signed Game Worn Rookie Shoes Expected to Bring $1,000,000+

Michael Jordan, still dressed in his Bulls uniform and wearing his game shoes, came over to introduce himself. Jordan then removed his shoes, autographed them, and handed them directly to Grandma, who had been in sole possession of them ever since.

With pen in hand, Michael first started to sign the right shoe. Damp with game perspiration, after forming the M and beginning the “ich”, the pen skipped, ending with an incomplete autograph. In typical Jordan fashion, never accepting defeat while striving for perfection, he went to work on the left shoe. Effortlessly, as advanced collectors know, Jordan penned a near mint, absolutely perfect vintage rookie era stylistic autograph, a true work of art! During the 1984-1985 era, Michael Jordan’s signatures contained many more elements of the formation of the letters. An inspection reveals the defined formation of the “M, i, c, h, a, small e, final l” which loops back toward the original M, almost like the tail of Zorro’s whip. With the same pronouncement, his stylistic “J” tails into the “o, r, looping d, and final line that represents to “a” and “n”. Alphabet artwork.

Safe Keeping

Upon returning home, the shoes were placed in a line bag and the secured in a small suitcase. For added protection, a small diary lock served as a deterrent against theft or unwanted attention. At 10-years old, our consignor, a fashionable fellow, collected “Jordan’s”, the kind proudly worn to school and for social events. Proud of his shoes, the 10-year old bragged to Grandma, “Look at these”, for which she replied, “I got the real one’s”. Puzzled, our consignor asked, “how’d you get them?”. Proudly, Grandma replied, “he took them off his damned feet boy and gave them to me!”. The diary lock was removed, the shoes removed from the suitcase, and our consignor learned about Grandma’s secret treasure. The shoes remained Grandma’s most prized possession, until after her death, the were gifted to our consignor, who vows to continue to honor the memory of his Grandma.

The sports memorabilia market has gained worldwide attention, with collectors, professional athletes, and institutional investment money vying to purchase world class collectables. “Top investors want the best of the best from the most iconic players,” said MEARS Auctions President / CEO Troy R. Kinunen. “I have never seen anything like this. It seems like more money has entered the hobby in the past 30 days that in the past 30 years combined.” To illustrate his point, Kinunen notes than in May of 2020, another pair of 1985 Michael Jordan Signed Game Worn Rookie Shoes sold for $560,000. By comparison, the coveted 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card sold for $96,000. This created a 5.8:1 ration of shoe to card value.

Current data shows there are 315 known 1986 Fleer Jordan rookie cards, and seven pairs of 1985 Michael Jordan rookie shoes have been evaluated by MEARS and used for comparison. “The numbers don’t lie. Past ratios have established Jordan rookie shoes selling at nearly a 6 times greater price than his rookie card. With such a small number of rookie shoes known compared to the 315 known rookie cards, the long-term value is certainly in the shoes.” exclaimed Kinunen.

The shoes were personally removed off Michael Jordan’s feet after a 1985 game where “Grandma”, a guest of Michael Jordan, received the autographed gift.
The player specific code, “TYPS” referring to the “TY” Tommy Yang factory and “PS” Player Sample, markings only found on Michael’s personal stock.
Bearing a vintage autograph, the professional staff of JSA (James Spence Autographs) authenticated the signature. MEARS authenticated the shoes for authenticity.

Latrell Sprewell, a Milwaukee native, heard about the sale of these historic shoes and asked for a private showing. The former NBA legend replied, “Check out this original pair of 1985 Michael Jordan Autographed Game Worn Air Jordan 1's. I placed the first bid on what might be the first $1,000,000 pair of shoes”.

Bidding is currently live and the shoes can be viewed at www.mearsonlineauctions.com . Questions may be directed to Troy R. Kinunen at (414)-828-9990 or email troy@mearsonline.com

Troy R Kinunen
MEARS Online Auctions
+1 414-828-9990
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