1989 Nike Air Jordan IV in White, Red & Black

I believe I only bought three pairs of Jordans from Vintage USA auction. Make that four. And the first one I ever got was a pair of original 1989 Air Jordan IV in white/red/black. The shoes did not have their original laces or any laces for that matter and I was bummed out by that because, as you can see in the photos, bright new laces on old beat up sneakers is not a great look. At least not to me it isn't. But I was thrilled to be getting my very first pair of Jordan IVs. And these were a size that I could definitely wear.

As far as the condition of these, well, the pictures speak for themselves. Heavily creased, lots of sole wear, ripping inside lining, air pockets shot, etc. As you can see, the soles seemed to be pretty curved especially on the instep sides. But despite all this, the shoes were very comfortable and I was even able to wear them, unlike the cement AJ IV I wrote about before which just came apart after one wearing. Even though these were virtually trashed and the air pockets were popped, the foam midsoles were pretty much intact and I could wear them without causing additional damage. I do remember wearing them just one time and that was to Dominick's grocery store.

Eventually I parted ways with this pair of Jordans as well. I don't remember getting much for them, even though I think I paid a pretty penny for them on Vintage USA. I might have held onto them if they had their original laces. But I still intend to get a pair of these whenever they shall be released again. I know, they will cost $220 or more. But I don't care. If I can I will.

Nike Air Jordan IV Retro (1999) in White / Black / Cement

One of my all time favorite sneakers--I'm talking top 3 here--is the Nike Air Jordan IV. I first saw these in 9th grade and fell instantly in love. They were to be seen everywhere--school, church, stores, the streets. I had no idea what they were but they looked really cool to me. On my way home from school one day I happened to encounter one of my grade school friends who ended up at another high school and he was wearing a pair of these. His were really beat up and worn but looked great. I don't know if by that point I knew what they were called but I do remember asking him how much they cost. He told me $100. I was like 'holy crap!' There was no way I was going to get $100 sneakers. The most expensive sneakers I had up to that point were like $45 and those were considered pretty expensive. Anyway, I'm sure this dude ended up throwing his away after that school year and I do regret not asking him to let me have them. He probably would have given them to me as no one at that time was anticipating that these would have been worth plenty of money nowadays.

I didn't get my own pair of AJ IV's until many years later and they happened to be from an online place called Vintage USA. That may have been the first online sneaker auction website and I was able to get a pair that was a bit worn down but looked really good. I really wanted to wear them eventually and I ended up destroying the foam midsoles which had broken down due to their age and condition.

Finally in 1999 I got my chance to get a brand new pair of these when they were being retro'ed. I ordered directly from Nike and the price surprisingly was still $100. This time money was not an issue. The issue was that they mistakenly sent me a size smaller than I had ordered. I tried to return it but they no longer had the size I had ordered. So I kept them and wore them not too many times since they were smaller than I needed and they hurt my feet. Afterwards I put them permanently away in their box and eventually sold them for over $400. This is how they looked before I sold them:

I had no idea that these were ever going to be reissued again. When they came out in 2012 I tried to get a pair but totally missed out. Then earlier this year my dream came true. Finally I had a chance once again to have them and I don't know how I managed but I was able to get through the Nike website on the Saturday they debuted and ordered the size I needed. Of course there is a huge difference in price as these cost $220, the most any AJ IV retro has ever cost. But now I am the happy owner of a sneaker that I have wanted ever since high school. And every time I go out wearing these shoes there is always someone who compliments them.

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