A pair of gold Jordans was donated to an Oregon shelter; later found to be custom-made for Spike Lee, they sold for $50,800 | World News

James Free holds the rare gold Air Jordan 3s (AP)/Spike Lee (Wikipedia)

A pair of striking gold Nike Air Jordan 3 sneakers ended up in a donation bin at the Portland Rescue Mission in Oregon in 2023, where staff initially suspected they were counterfeit. The shoes had been anonymously donated and were discovered by James Free, a man participating in the shelter’s long-term programme, while he was sorting through donated items. Their unusual appearance eventually prompted staff to seek expert authentication. The sneakers turned out to be part of a tiny batch of custom Air Jordan 3s created by Nike designer Tinker Hatfield for filmmaker Spike Lee and people in his inner circle. After being authenticated, the rare shoes were put up for auction by Sotheby’s and sold for $50,800 in December 2023.

Rare Spike Lee Jordans discovered in donation bin

The sneakers were placed in a donation chute at the Portland Rescue Mission’s Burnside Shelter in April 2023. They eventually made their way into a basement donation bin containing clothing, blankets, coats, sleeping bags and shoes.James Free, who was living in the Mission’s long-term shelter programme at the time, spotted the bright gold sneakers near the bottom of the bin. Their appearance immediately caught his attention, and he brought them to Erin Holcomb, the organisation’s director of staff ministry.The shoes were in remarkably good condition. However, the circumstances surrounding their discovery made the staff suspicious. Holcomb initially believed they were likely high-quality fakes and did not immediately realise that the shelter had received an extremely rare pair of sneakers.

Why the shoes were linked to Spike Lee

The sneakers were custom-made in 2019 by Nike footwear designer Tinker Hatfield for Spike Lee and members of his inner circle.Lee wore his own pair of the gold Air Jordan 3s at the 2019 Academy Awards. He wore them while attending the ceremony and later while accepting the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for BlacKkKlansman.The Portland pair was not Lee’s personal pair. The donated sneakers were size 12½, while Lee has said that he wears a size 9½. They were part of a very limited run, with the Portland Rescue Mission describing them as one of only four or five pairs made for Lee’s inner circle.The shoes also carried distinctive details connected to Lee. One heel featured the Jumpman logo, while the other carried the logo of his production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks. The gold colour and customised design made them unlike ordinary retail Air Jordan releases.

Staff initially thought they were fake

Holcomb kept the sneakers for several weeks before taking them to Index, a sneaker consignment shop in Portland, to determine whether they were genuine.According to Holcomb’s account, she approached the shop expecting an expert to confirm her suspicion that the shoes were counterfeit. Instead, the inspection produced a very different answer.Terrance Ricketts, co-owner of the store, determined that the shoes were authentic. He recognised their unusual construction, materials and markings and told Holcomb that Nike had produced only a handful of them. He estimated that they could be worth between $15,000 and $20,000.That discovery changed the Mission’s plans for the shoes. Rather than distributing them as ordinary donated footwear, staff began looking for a way to authenticate and sell them while directing the proceeds towards the organisation’s work.

Tinker Hatfield authenticated the sneakers

The Mission then contacted Sotheby’s, the international auction house, which agreed to handle the sale.Hatfield, who had designed the sneakers, also became involved. He authenticated the shoes and provided additional items for the auction, including a replacement box and an original design concept board. He also visited the Portland Rescue Mission and signed the materials connected to the sneakers.Sotheby’s listed the sneakers with an estimated value of $15,000 to $20,000. The auction house also waived its seller’s fee, allowing the proceeds from the sale to benefit the Portland Rescue Mission.The identity of the person who originally donated the shoes remained unknown. Even Lee said he did not know how the size 12½ pair had ended up in the shelter’s donation system.

The auction ends at $50,800

The auction produced a much higher result than the initial estimate.As the Sotheby’s auction approached its conclusion in December 2023, staff at the Portland Rescue Mission gathered to watch the bidding. The amount eventually climbed sharply during the final minutes.The winning bid reached $50,800, more than twice Sotheby’s initial high estimate of $20,000. Staff members at the Mission watched the final moments together and celebrated when the auction closed.The Portland Rescue Mission said the money would support its work helping people experiencing homelessness, including providing shelter, meals, clothing and other services.

From a donation bin to a $50,800 auction

What made the discovery unusual was the chain of events behind it. A pair of highly limited sneakers connected to one of Hollywood’s best-known filmmakers had been anonymously donated to a homeless shelter and ended up buried beneath ordinary donated goods.The shoes were initially mistaken for fakes, then identified by a sneaker expert, authenticated by their original designer and ultimately sold at a major international auction house.The original donor was never identified, but the unexpected donation generated $50,800 for the Portland Rescue Mission, turning an overlooked pair of sneakers at the bottom of a donation bin into a substantial source of funding for the shelter.