New old stock 1930's sneakers found on eBay

[MissMittens]

They look great, but are very small (5.5)............

and the seller is absolutely insane judging by the price :O

http://cgi.ebay.com/1930s-vintage-c...1742258?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item20b68e72b2

 

[Alex]

They look great, but are very small (5.5)............

and the seller is absolutely insane judging by the price :O

http://cgi.ebay.com/1930s-vintage-c...1742258?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item20b68e72b2

Wow who on earth would pay that kind of money for old shoes? They are pretty cool, but let's be realistic here..

 

[MissMittens]

Wow who on earth would pay that kind of money for old shoes? They are pretty cool, but let's be realistic here..

They would never be worth that.....even if they were lined in platinum or something of equal value. This is a case of someone likely finding something in the basement or attic of an old shop, and thinking "these must be rare, so they must be worth a lot of money".

They're cool, but you can get a pair of Converse for like $20 and rip the stars off of them for the same look

 

[Guttersnipe]

Wow who on earth would pay that kind of money for old shoes? They are pretty cool, but let's be realistic here..

They would never be worth that.....even if they were lined in platinum or something of equal value. This is a case of someone likely finding something in the basement or attic of an old shop, and thinking "these must be rare, so they must be worth a lot of money".

They're cool, but you can get a pair of Converse for like $20 and rip the stars off of them for the same look

While I agree that the seller's price is WAY off base in terms of realistic market value, original pre-WWII sneakers, particularly in deadstock condition, are EXCEEDINGLY rare usually sell for quite a lot. The same arguments used to say that they are just a pair of "old shoes" could be used dismiss a Roman helmet as just old piece of obsolete military surplus. The value of any old/collectible item lies in what someone is willing to pay because of its rarity/scarcity and cultural associations/significance.

 

[I Adore Film Noir]

While I agree that the seller's price is WAY off base in terms of realistic market value, original pre-WWII sneakers, particularly in deadstock condition, are EXCEEDINGLY rare usually sell for quite a lot. The same arguments used to say that they are just a pair of "old shoes" could be used dismiss a Roman helmet as just old piece of obsolete military surplus. The value of any old/collectible item lies in what someone is willing to pay because of its rarity/scarcity and cultural associations/significance.

I agree with you, but I think the ebay venue with a starting price of $10k is not the way to go for this item.

 

[I Adore Film Noir]

I agree with you, but I think the ebay venue with a starting price of $10k is not the way to go for this item.

PS I'm going to watch this and see if she relists it.

 

[MissMittens]

PS I'm going to watch this and see if she relists it.

She'll have to eat the listing fee on this one for sure. They may be "rare" and "valuable" to the right person, but I haven't ever seen any vintage footwear sell for more than a couple of hundred, ever, no matter the condition. As for the gentleman who made a point about them being deadstock, I had a box of unissued WAAC shoes in sizes 4 through 7. Extremely rare, AND military related - couldn't sell them. Just because something is deadstock and rare doesn't mean they're worth anything, if there's no collectors market for them, they're worthless.

 

[dhermann1]

With other old items like this, they're oftem bought to be used as patterns for making repros. I would really wonder if that could be done with these, tho.

 

[MissMittens]

With other old items like this, they're oftem bought to be used as patterns for making repros. I would really wonder if that could be done with these, tho.

Not without destroying them, and chemically, the rubber is probably not available in this modern age of plastics

 

[John in Covina]

The pricing is hilarious. It reminds me of the gun show, there is always someone with a fairly ordinary item that others have for less but their price is way too high. I always suppose they are waiting for someone that is drunk with a lot of money to come in get emotional and buy it on the spot. until then they drag it to and from the gun show for years adding to the shop worn look.

 

[flat-top]

http://www.cafeterra.info/2009/07/worlds-first-basketball-sneakers.html

and

http://mybabyjo.com/mens_shoes01.htm

 

[Guttersnipe]

She'll have to eat the listing fee on this one for sure. They may be "rare" and "valuable" to the right person, but I haven't ever seen any vintage footwear sell for more than a couple of hundred, ever, no matter the condition. As for the gentleman who made a point about them being deadstock, I had a box of unissued WAAC shoes in sizes 4 through 7. Extremely rare, AND military related - couldn't sell them. Just because something is deadstock and rare doesn't mean they're worth anything, if there's no collectors market for them, they're worthless.

Depending in the age/condition/complexity of the inlays vintage cowboy boots sometimes sell for over a grand. As for the value of an original pair of Colchester Flyers, I cannot say because I've never seen/heard about a pair coming up for auction, but based on what I've seen sneakers of the same era sell for, it would definitely be a lot (although by a lot I mean at least 1/10th of what that seller was asking). When it come to vintage sneakers, there is a market, Japanese collectors pay top dollar for vintage workwear, sportswear and denim. As an interesting aside, my experience is that military items usually don't sell for as much as their civilian counterparts. For example, mid 30's - mid 40's US Navy pea coats (ten-button, two-pocket) can be had for a hundred bucks or less, whereas pre-war wool shawl collar coats/civilian pea coats can easily sell for $400+

 

[Guttersnipe]

Check these 30's sneakers

 

[MissMittens]

http://www.cafeterra.info/2009/07/worlds-first-basketball-sneakers.html

and

http://mybabyjo.com/mens_shoes01.htm

Someone's already doing repros.....there goes one possible reason to buy them

 

[I Adore Film Noir]

PS I'm going to watch this and see if she relists it.

She relisted with an end date of 2/5/11. She wants her price!

 

[MissMittens]

Think she may have meant 10000 cents? Still an awful lot

 

[I Adore Film Noir]

Think she may have meant 10000 cents? Still an awful lot

Cute! I wonder what color the sky is in her world?

 

[fl&wvmike]

They don't even look 1930s to me. More like 1950s.
MIKE

 

[Guttersnipe]

No, those $10K eBay sneakers were older than that. The treads on the soles were different from those of any 1950's Colchesters I've ever seen, they were definitely pre-WWII.

 

[resortes805]

Awww....Colchesters, I remember when they first came out the controversy surrounding the 1892 claim. Honestly, you just need to check out the art deco tread to place 'em past the 1920s.