On Sunday, June 11, 2017, during Heritage Auctions’ The Future is Now sale, a pair of Nike Air Mag self-lacing sneakers brought in an impressive $52,500. The sneaker, first introduced in Back to the Future and brought to life by Nike in 2016, now holds the world record for collectible sneaker at public auction, after beating the previous record of $32,500.
The Future is Now offered 151 lots, bringing together rare pop culture, urban art objects, sneakers, surfboards, skateboard decks, and street art. This auction marked the first time a major international auction house offered collectible sneakers.
“This auction was a successful first step to bring together a number of different themes and objects. Collectors were excited to see their passions displayed on a public stage, giving them a platform and a voice. As a result, we saw a record number of page views on ha.com, amazing press coverage and the foot traffic at the Beverly Hills office during the preview leading up to the auction was amazing. We shattered the world record for collectible sneakers sold at public auction by $20,000 when the Nike Air Mags sold for $52,500. I was also pleased to see the prices realized for the other collecting categories as well,” said Leon Benrimon, Director of Modern and Contemporary Art at Heritage Auctions.
Additional highlights included Futura 2000’s Untitled, a large-scale work, which realized $35,000. Two separate Damien Hirst hand-drawn skateboard decks Dots 5 – Skull and Dots 5 – Little Shark each sold for $12,500. A 1986 Andy Warhol titled Self-Portrait with Fright Wig silkscreen print on t-shirt brought in $12,500. Finally, a pair of 2011 edition of the Nike Air Mag, in the original box hand-signed by Hatfield, ended at $8,125.