The Original Nike Waffle Racing Flat Sold for How Much?!
What is the ‘Ultimate Sneaker Collection’? And who’s to say what it actually is? In this case, the total sum of $1,287,500 would probably be the deciding factor.
About a week ago, it was brought to the world’s attention that Stadium Goods had teamed up with multi-national art collector and dealer Sotheby's to auction off a 100-pair collection of some of the world's rarest and most-limited sneakers. While the collection was set to be auctioned off online, 99 pairs were privately sold to international entrepreneur Miles Nadal for a cool $850,000, with the final pair being withheld to hit a public auction: a Waffle Racing Flat ‘Moon Shoe’.
Initially estimated to be sold for a mere $160,000, the ‘Moon Shoe’ made history yesterday by fetching an insane $437,500 at the auction – with Miles again being the successful bidder. The previous record for the highest-selling-sneaker was held by a pair of at the 1984 Olympics which sold in 2017 for $190,000.
According to sneaker lore, Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman (while on his mission to create a better running shoe) poured rubber into his wife’s waffle iron and crudely sheared the results into the shape of an outsole. It was a process that Bowerman had to follow at least twice per shoe as Nike did not yet have the technology to produce the outsole in one piece.
This was then attached to a nylon upper and paired with an early Swoosh logo that had been applied via fishing wire. The result of this mad-scientist engineering was a major innovation in sports technology.
Appropriately named the Waffle Racing Flat, it has also been called the ‘Moon Shoe’ as the footprint it leaves behind shares similarities to those left behind by NASA space boots.
Due to the handmade nature of this important artefact, each pair features its own unique blemishes. Only 12 were ever brought into the world, with this pair being the only one in known deadstock condition.
Miles Nadal plans to display this at his private Toronto car museum and share it with friends, family and charitable organisations – so here's to hoping we get to set our eyes on the real pair one day!