Death comes for us all, but for iconic movie sneakers it comes a lot quicker.
Currently up for auction on eBay is a single shoe (the left) of one of the pairs of Nike Air Mags used in the production of 1989âs Back to the Future II.
Air Mags have been re-released by Nike a few times since, most recently complete with an automatic lacing system, and each time theyâve sold for thousands. But this isnât a commercial remake, itâs actually one of the shoes made specifically for the movie.
And itâs dying.
https://lastchance.cc/some-sneakers-age-like-shit-1693056687%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
As weâve explained previously on sneaker blog Kotaku.com, a lot of the materials used in footwear arenât designed to last. Even supposedly durable outdoor running shoes are affected, but it goes extra for fancy shoes that were designed only for the movies.
The auctionâcurrently pushing past $40,000 for a single shoeâis notable for that insane price, reflective of the importance placed on the object not just by movie buffs, but sneakerheads as well.
Whatâs just as interesting, though, is the state of the thing, despite it being kept in a glass display case. While the fabric is holding up OK, the rubber and foam sections of the shoe are rotting away. The back heelcup is so bad that itâs just crumbs now, though whatâs left of them has been kept and stored in containers, and the outsole completely separates from the rest of the shoe if you try and pick it up.
The materials are so poor that the shoeâoriginally part of a Nike employeeâs personal collectionâcannot be handled without museum-level care, and the eBay auction is for local pickup only (in the Portland area) because the sneaker simply isnât fit for transport.
If youâre in the Portland area you can actually go see the shoe in person; itâs on display at Index, a local sneaker consignment store, for the rest of the week.
UPDATE July 2 â The shoes have now sold for an astronomical $92,100. They were also featured in this interview with Tiffany Beers, a former Nike designer who worked on the most recent commercial re-release of the Air Mags:
