Sneakers have transcended their humble athletic origins to become cultural icons, coveted for their design and performance and their status as wearable art. For sneakerheads—some of whom regard their collections as priceless—specific pairs represent more than just footwear; they're investments and treasures.
The sneaker market, a fascinating intersection of fashion, sports, and economics, often sees prices that defy conventional valuation. From limited-edition collaborations between world-renowned artists and major brands to exclusive releases that fans camp out overnight to acquire, the right sneakers can fetch astronomical sums. This article delves into the most expensive sneakers of all time, focusing on the stratospheric prices paid on online marketplaces such as StockX, eBay, and GOAT.
Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High Chicago - $7,000+
Created by the late great Virgil Abloh, the Off-White x Air Jordan 1 High Chicago has become one of the most significant collaborations on the Air Jordan 1 High ever. The deconstructed look ages beautifully over time, and in the current market, the pair fetches well over $7,000, depending upon the size.
Travis Scott x PlayStation x Nike Dunk Low - $9,000+
The launch of the PS5 in 2020 generated massive buzz, and Travis Scott was able to team up with Sony to market the new gaming console. In addition to his apparel collections, La Flame enlisted Nike and Sony to create an ultra-limited Nike Dunk Low themed after the new console, with only 24 pairs in existence. According to Travis’ website, five pairs of the sneakers were given away via a raffle. The highest recorded sale on a marketplace was just around $9,000.
Nike Air Foamposite ParaNorman - $10,000+
Movie production company Laika has connections to Nike through its founders, Phil Knight and his son Travis. With a deep tie to Nike, the sportswear giant has continually produced special colorways of sneakers to commemorate the company’s latest films. In 2012, in the lead-up to the release of ParaNorman, Nike created 800 pairs of the Nike Air Foamposite One ParaNorman. These kicks were only available through a contest, as well as a small run via eBay, and never hit retail, making them even more rare, causing prices of the sneaker to be upwards of $10,000.
Dior x Air Jordan 1 Pack - $10,000 (Lows) $14,000 (Highs)
High-fashion link-ups with sportswear brands are commonplace nowadays, with one of the first significant partnerships coming from Dior and Jordan Brand in 2020. The duo crafted two pairs of Air Jordan 1s, a High and a Low, each constructed with the highest-quality materials in Italy by hand. The high-tops were limited to 8,500 individually numbered pairs, while the lows were even more limited to 4,700 pairs. On top of the limited nature, accessing the pair was difficult, as only those with connections to Dior sales reps could place orders. Couple this with the $2,000 retail, and it’s no surprise the pairs sell for over five figures today.
DJ Khaled x Air Jordan 3 Grateful - $14,000+
While DJ Khaled’s latest Jordan collaboration hit retail shelves and eventually made its way to outlets, one of his first projects with JB was on the Air Jordan 3. Themed around his We The Best music label, the red-based pair was a friends and family exclusive, with some pairs making their way to the market and selling for more than $14,000.
Tiffany & Co. x Nike Air Force 1 Low 1837 F&F - $15,000+
Tiffany and Co. is one of the world’s premier jewelers, with a history dating back to 1837. Teaming up with Nike, the duo crafted an Air Force 1 Low that featured an actual bar of sterling silver from Tiffany and Co. and premium materials across the suede and leather sneaker. Alongside the retail version of the pair that was available to the public, friends and family of Tiffany & Co. were given an alternate version that flipped the color palette on the sneaker. Sales for this pair have been recorded on StockX to exceed $15,000.
Cactus Plant Flea Market x Nike Dunk Low Sage - $15,000+
Cynthia Lu’s Cactus Plant Flea Market garnered a large following thanks to its association with some of the rap game's biggest stars, and the brand eventually landed a deal with Nike. Following the duo’s avant-garde take on the VaporMax, Blazer Mid, and AF1, CPFM produced a two-pack of Swarovski-covered Dunk Low colorways. Both were limited in their own right, and the Sage colorway was considered exclusive to friends and family. However, a few pairs were sold on the CPFM site during the raffle for the Pure Platinum colorway. Nowadays, the Sage colorway can fetch north of $15,000.
Nike Air Yeezy 2 Red October - $16,000+
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, and Nike had a major falling out in 2013 that led the multi-hyphenate superstar to sign a deal with adidas to work on footwear. However, one last surprise came from the Nike Yeezy line as the elusive Yeezy 2 Red October, teased for over a year before its release, randomly dropped on Nike’s website and sold out in minutes. The celebrity co-signs and the fact that it would be the last project Ye and Nike worked on made the pair highly coveted. To this day, it is still one of the most influential sneakers of all time. Prices in the current market vary, though sales prices on StockX are hovering around $16,000.
Air Jordan 4 Manila - $16,000+
The sneaker scene in the Philippines is massive, and Jordan Brand looked to celebrate this with a super-limited Air Jordan 4. To commemorate the opening of the first Jordan store in the country, the Air Jordan 4 Manila was created and limited to just 250 pairs. To stop resellers, the policy was to wear the pair out of the store after purchasing, though many were careful to tread lightly to keep them in excellent condition. Pairs technically are not deadstock and unworn, but even still, the sneaker fetches north of $16,000 on the secondary market.
Nike SB Dunk Low What The Dunk - $20,000+
James Arizumi came up with an idea in 2007 to mash up the best SB Dunk colorways to create the What The Dunk SB Dunk Low. 31 different Nike SB Dunk colorways are referenced on the mismatched sneaker, including the Supreme x Nike SB Dunk High and Low, Rayguns, NYC Pigeon, Tweed, Paris, eBay, and more. Every panel comes different from the next, and the ultra-limited nature has made this one of the most coveted SBs, if not sneakers, of all time. Prices range depending on the size and condition, but StockX has recorded sales prices that exceed $20,000.
Undefeated x Air Jordan 4 - $25,000+
Collaborations are common in today’s sneaker landscape, with what seems like a project between two parties coming out at least once a week. In 2005, sneaker boutique Undefeated made history with the first-ever collaborative project on an Air Jordan, the Undefeated x Air Jordan 4. Taking inspiration from the MA-1 Flight jacket, the sneaker takes on olive and orange shades across its design. Undefeated’s branding replaces the Jordan text on the inside of the tongue, and the tongue tag features a removable patch that reveals “Rare Air” text. Only 72 pairs were made of the original collaboration. However, in 2018, samples emerged that many believed were linked to Drake requesting new pairs from Jordan Brand. The aftermarket value of these original pairs ranges, but upwards of $25,000 is quite common.
Travis Scott x Air Jordan 4 Olive F&F - $25,000+
Travis Scott’s influence on sneakers is unmatched, with Jordan Brand giving the rapper, designer, and world-class marketer his collaborative Air Jordans. One of the first projects was the Air Jordan 4. While the public had access to the Houston Oilers-themed colorway, only friends and family of Cactus Jack were given different versions of the sneaker. This collection includes a Purple and Olive colorway, which sells for more than $25,000 on the secondary market.
Air Jordan 4 Wahlburger - $26,000+
Jordan Brand created the Wahlburger Air Jordan 4 in honor of Mark Wahlberg and his brothers’ burger chain of the same name. Originally, Mark sported a custom pair of AJ4s at the grand opening of a Wahlburgers location at the Mall of America. However, months later, Jordan Brand and Mark created 30 pairs to giveaway through a charity raffle that benefited those affected by the California wildfires in 2018. Mark has also stated that MJ himself has 23 pairs, and Mark has 23 for himself, putting the total number of pairs in the wild at 73. Sales for the sneaker have been recorded to exceed $26,000 on online marketplaces.
Nike SB Dunk Low Staple NYC Pigeon - $38,000+
A pivotal moment in sneaker history that led to the implementation of raffle systems, sneaker culture going mainstream, and the current landscape of release methods is Jeff Staple’s collaboration with Nike SB on the SB Dunk Low in 2005: The Staple NYC Pigeon. A riot broke out in NYC on release day, and the release was shut down, leading to headlines across the nation and a bad spotlight on the sneaker community. Only 150 pairs were made, and the sneaker has sold for over $38,000 on StockX.
Concepts x Nike SB Dunk Low Yellow Lobster F&F - $42,000
Concepts and Nike SB created one of the most memorable SB Dunk lines of all time with the Lobster series. Considering Concepts is located in Boston, the significance of lobsters to the city and region was translated into SB Dunk Low form on multiple occasions, drawing inspiration from the rare colors seen from the sea creatures. One of the rarest and most expensive versions of the Lobster SB Dunks is the Yellow Lobster, which was given to friends and family of Concepts in 2009. Today, the pair has been sold for more than $40,000 online.
Nike Dunk High Wu-Tang - $50,000+
Nike’s Be True To Your School campaign around the Dunk High silhouette in the ‘80s has forever associated the silhouette with collegiate hoops. When it came to retro the original colors from the 1984 release in 1999, Drew Greer took it upon himself to honor one of hip-hop’s most influential collectives, the Wu-Tang Clan, with a special version of the Dunk High Iowa. Greer got 100 pairs of sneakers crafted with Wu-Tang’s logo, giving members of the collective the sneakers as gifts. Today, prices have exceeded $50,000 for the ultra-limited sneaker.
Nike SB Dunk Low Paris - $60,000+
Regarding ultra-rare sneakers, the Nike SB Dunk Low Paris is one of the first that comes to mind. Part of the City Series that included pairs like the NYC Pigeon and London SB Dunks, the Paris Dunks were originally intended to be released at an exhibit in Paris and were crafted with the help of French artist Bernard Buffet. However, the release was canceled, and only a few pairs entered the wild through various methods. Rumor has it that there were only 202 pairs created and prices for the pair on the aftermarket can be upwards of $60,000.
Nike Mag (2016) - $76,000+
Back To The Future fans were elated to see that Nike would produce the Mag sneaker Marty McFly wore in the second film in the franchise when an auction took place for prop replica pairs in 2011. Five years later, the sneaker was brought to life again with actual self-lacing technology. This version of the Nike Mag was limited to 89 pairs and was auctioned off to benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation, which supports research on Parkinson's disease. Today, the sneaker has sold for over $75,000 via online marketplaces.
Louis Vuitton x Nike Air Force 1 Low Damier - $85,000+
The most expensive sneakers on our list come courtesy of Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh, and Nike, who came together to create one of the most illustrious collections of Air Force 1s of all time. Bootleggers and customizers had created Louis Vuitton Air Force 1s for decades, but the official collaboration was released in 2022 after the untimely passing of Virgil Abloh. Two hundred pairs of the Daimer Azur-covered Air Force 1 were auctioned off to benefit The Virgil Abloh™ “Post-Modern” Scholarship Fund, which, in partnership with the Fashion Scholarship Fund, supports the education of academically promising students of Black, African American, or African descent. The auction raised over $25.3 million across the 200 pairs, costing the highest-selling lot $350,000. Today, pairs on the aftermarket reach over $85,000 according to sales prices on StockX. However, most pairs are likely sold in private transactions, with prices much higher than this.
Sneakerhead from South Florida who turned his passion into a career. Concerts, music, trying new restaurants, and catching the latest movies are some of the things I enjoy when not writing for Sole Retriever. Email: nick@soleretriever.com
