Homeless Man Finds Ultra Rare Gold Jordan 3 In Shelter Donations; To Be Auctioned For $20,000
A formerly homeless man at the Burnside Shelter of Portland Rescue Mission discovered a pair of Nike Air Jordan 3 sneakers made for Spike Lee while sorting through clothing and shoe donations in the shelter's donation chute.
According to a Portland Rescue Mission's blog post, a man in its long-term shelter program found the "bright gold pair of Air Jordan sneakers" near the bottom of one of the shelter's bins and set it aside because they were in brand new condition.
Since it looked identical to the custom pair of Air Jordans designed by Tinker Hatfield for American film director Spike Lee for his red carpet look at the 2019 Academy Awards, the shelter took it to a high-end sneaker resale shop for an expert opinion.
Confirming the authenticity of the sneakers, the resale shop explained that the pair found in the shelter's donation bin is one of the four or five pairs manufactured for Spike Lee to give out to his inner circle, which are "some of the most rare and collectible shoes on the market."
While the resale shop offered $10,000 to sell the shoes in its store, Erin Holcomb -- Portland Rescue Mission's Human Resources director -- decided to reach out to Sotheby's instead. Sotheby's is the "premier destination for auctions and private sales" of paintings, jewelry, watches and other rare and valuable items.
Around the same time, Holcom reached out to Tinker Hatfield, whose name was embroidered into the shoes alongside Spike Lee's. Willing to get involved, he donated the unpublished design concept board for the shoes and a box.
Hatfield also autographed the memorabilia to add value to the auction lot.
The shoes are currently listed on Sotheby's with the product name Nike Air Jordan 3 retro "Spike Lee Oscars" with Tinker Hatfield Signed Box and Design | Size 12.5.
The pair features premium leather decorated with eye-catching metallic gold masking over the Nike Swoosh logo, elephant print and tongue. Its gold theme is contrasted by black, white and icy blue accents and a red liner.
Meanwhile, its heel comes with an oversized Jumpman symbol and bespoke logos portraying Spike Lee's production company 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks.
The rare pair is expected to be sold for $15,000 to $20,000 in the auction.
