Nike Moon Shoes Worn at 1972 Olympic Trials Are Up For Auction

Getting your hands on a grail is one thing, but owning a piece of Swoosh history is something else entirely. Every now and then, pieces of the Beaverton brand’s legacy hit the market, and when they do, you can expect to cough up some serious cash for them. The latest legend to hit the auction house is a pair of -designed Moon Shoes – the Waffle-iron-inspired sneaker from 1972.

Those familiar with the Moon Shoe will understand its significance. Pairs were cooked up by Bowerman and hand-cobbled together in Oregon, their Waffle soles hand-cut by Nike’s third employee, Geoff Hollister. Crude in their appearance, the Moon Shoe represents the very beginning of Nike as we know it. One of only a couple in existence, this particular pair was owned and used by a runner named Paul Talkington. He wore this very pair to take a twelfth-place finish in the 1972 Olympic Marathon trials, as well as a couple of other races. The pair did develop a hole, which was later repaired with moleskin, and Talkington shelved the sneakers to avoid further damage. What’s cool about this auction is that Talkington actually clued Goldin Auction House in on the full story: ‘I remember receiving a notice that a store was giving away a pair of new shoes to the runners in the marathon. I went to a house near the stadium in Eugene. Went into the basement where they had a shoe store and a setup for making the shoes,’ he said, ‘They measured my feet and said that I could come back in a day or two and pick up the shoes. They asked us to wear the shoes in our races at the trials. I ran the marathon and finished with two very sore, blistered and bloody feet. I finished in 12th place.’

Previous Moon Shoe sales have hovered around the $100k mark, with one deadstock pair eventually selling for $437,500 at Sotheby’s, which made it one of the ever. At the time of writing this pair is sitting at $50k, so although it's not exactly a bargain, it’s pretty reasonable by Swoosh standards. Head over to Goldin if you’re planning to place a bid – the auction ends on August 18.