I considered putting this in the Footwear To Go With Our Jackets Thread; but I’ve seen these mentioned once or twice around here; yet as far as I know, no reviews.
These are Colchester Rubber Co. “National Treasure Hi-Top Black and Gum.”
To start as I said I saw the name pop up one or two times. So I was curious.
The company was founded in 1888 and made these sneakers in 1892, by 1893 the factory was closed and parts sold off. They have a legitimate claim to be the first basketball sneakers made. No way to 100% prove it but they certainly have the goods to back it up.
In 2004 a pair of originals were found at an estate sale which sparked the imagination of the guy who found them and now here we are.
I emailed them and they answered promptly the same day. They don’t do half sizes and I needed to know to size up or down. I followed their recommendation and the fit is perfect. They also gave me a code for being a first time buyer that knocked 10% of the cost. They came in a very artful box that shows the factory. They were wrapped in this beautiful paper that recreates a newspaper ad section from that era. They came laced with black laces. They also came with “gum” colored brown laces in the same style, as well as white laces similar to original laces of that era should someone want a closer og look.
The canvas uppers are well built and I see no flaws. The rubber also the same and I love the color of the “gum.” They even have a mild arch support built in. They have various lo and hi top models and color combos. They retail for about 95 dollars. After the code my total came to 86. Some might say these sorts of shoes should not cost this much. To that point I agree in general everything costs too much these days. All I can say is that how many repro makers are making these and they cost much much more?Or companies like Converse that will do limited editions that cost more. They often times don’t have full stock because they are such a small group. All in all I think these are fantastic and will be my go to, after the end of winter boot season. I love this color and model because they are sneakers, but I can easily throw these on with chinos or khakis and look great. I can 100% wear these with my leathers. If you’re liking the looks of these or similar models as of right now I 100% recommend them. They may not be quite as nice as a lot of the repro models but the price is nice. The repros usually start at 125 and I’ve seen some at 300. I’ll let you know how these wear in over time and maybe that changes my opinion, but right now I’m stoked with these!
These are Colchester Rubber Co. “National Treasure Hi-Top Black and Gum.”
To start as I said I saw the name pop up one or two times. So I was curious.
The company was founded in 1888 and made these sneakers in 1892, by 1893 the factory was closed and parts sold off. They have a legitimate claim to be the first basketball sneakers made. No way to 100% prove it but they certainly have the goods to back it up.
In 2004 a pair of originals were found at an estate sale which sparked the imagination of the guy who found them and now here we are.
I emailed them and they answered promptly the same day. They don’t do half sizes and I needed to know to size up or down. I followed their recommendation and the fit is perfect. They also gave me a code for being a first time buyer that knocked 10% of the cost. They came in a very artful box that shows the factory. They were wrapped in this beautiful paper that recreates a newspaper ad section from that era. They came laced with black laces. They also came with “gum” colored brown laces in the same style, as well as white laces similar to original laces of that era should someone want a closer og look.
The canvas uppers are well built and I see no flaws. The rubber also the same and I love the color of the “gum.” They even have a mild arch support built in. They have various lo and hi top models and color combos. They retail for about 95 dollars. After the code my total came to 86. Some might say these sorts of shoes should not cost this much. To that point I agree in general everything costs too much these days. All I can say is that how many repro makers are making these and they cost much much more?Or companies like Converse that will do limited editions that cost more. They often times don’t have full stock because they are such a small group. All in all I think these are fantastic and will be my go to, after the end of winter boot season. I love this color and model because they are sneakers, but I can easily throw these on with chinos or khakis and look great. I can 100% wear these with my leathers. If you’re liking the looks of these or similar models as of right now I 100% recommend them. They may not be quite as nice as a lot of the repro models but the price is nice. The repros usually start at 125 and I’ve seen some at 300. I’ll let you know how these wear in over time and maybe that changes my opinion, but right now I’m stoked with these!
