MONEY

Apple's most expensive product? Rare sneakers with rainbow logo up for sale for $50,000

Saman Shafiq
USA TODAY

Just a few weeks after a first-generation iPhone sold for $190K at an auction, a pair of “ultra-rare” Apple sneakers from the mid-1990s are up for sale at Sotheby’s for $50,000.

The sneakers, manufactured by Omega Sports were custom-made for Apple employees for a one-time giveaway at a National Sales Conference in the mid-’90s, according to the official product description on the auctioneer's website.

Features of the sneakers, which are a size 10.5, include a white upper and Apple's old-school rainbow logo, on both the tongue and lateral quarter. There is also an alternative pair of red laces included in the box.

Custom-made sneakers for Apple employees from the mid-’90s.

"Having never reached the general public, this particular pair of sneakers is one of the most obscure in existence and highly coveted on the resale market," read the description.

Though the pair of shoes have never been worn and come in a box, Sotheby's said that they show some signs of aging including yellowing around the midsoles and glue as well as light marks on the toe boxes.

'The Apple Collection'

Custom-made sneakers featuring the rainbow logo for Apple employees from the mid-’90s.

While apparel and shoes are not synonymous with Apple, more than 22,000 Apple consumers purchased clothing and accessories from the brand in 1985, said Sotheby's. For such products, Apple would partner with leading brands such as Lamy, Honda and Braun and apply their iconic Apple branding to various white-label products.

The range of clothing and accessories dubbed “The Apple Collection,” included mugs, umbrellas, bags, keyrings and even a sailboard, all adorned with the rainbow Apple logo, according to CNN.

These Apple sneakers are not the first to be sold: A pair was sold in March 2021 for $13,750 and in March 2020 for $8,750, Heritage Auctions told USA TODAY in an email.

Meanwhile, Sotheby's told USA TODAY that the most expensive sneaker they ever sold at auction was Michael Jordan’s 1998 NBA Finals Game 2 Air Jordan 13s from "The Last Dance" season – which sold for $2.2 million in April 2023.

The sneakers are not for auction but are available for immediate sale.