Nike Co-Founder’s Handcrafted Waffle Spikes Auction

It’s not uncommon to find pairs of old Nike shoes in online auctions, but it takes a particularly special pair to get Sotheby’s to create an auction just for them. Enter Bill Bowerman’s Handcrafted Waffle Spikes. Back when Bowerman was still the University of Oregon track coach–prior to the existence of the swoosh–he was known to make handmade shoes for his runners, but this is the first time one of those pairs of handmade spikes is going to auction. This particular pair was made for runner John Mays in the early 70s, worn in the 1972 Olympic Trials and have remained in Mays possession since then. Bill Bowerman’s Handmade Waffle Spike Shoes are expected to fetch between $130k – $150k, but if the Nike Moon Shoes and Jordan game worn 1985 Air Jordan 1 auctions are any indication, the old, historically-significant shoes could sell for far more than their estimate.