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A Man In Kelantan Owns A Pair Of Rare Nike Sneakers Worth RM1.8 Million

The revelation came after a sale took place at Sotheby's online sale on Tuesday.

Cover image via Ade Adol & The Washington Post (edited)

Earlier this week, a Facebook post by a man in Kuala Lumpur went viral. The man claimed that his friend owns a pair of rare Nike sneakers worth RM1,800,000.

The man, Ide Adol, included his friend Hatu Gani's photo in the Facebook post.

In the photo, Gani is seen holding a verified pair of rare Nike shoes designed by co-founder and track coach Bill Bowerman for runners at the 1972 Olympics trials.

Although, it's not clear who is the other man standing beside Gani.

Meanwhile, a check on Gani's Facebook profile revealed that the Kelantanese local happens to be a massive sports shoe enthusiast.

The revelation that a Malaysian man owns a pair of the '1972 Nike Waffle Racing Flat Moon Shoe' came after a Canadian collector paid USD437,500 for the rare pair at a public auction in New York on Tuesday, 23 July

The rare sneakers are now the most expensive ones to sold at public auction.

According to BBC, Bill Bowerman had made only 12 pairs of so-called Moon Shoes.

The hand-made shoes' tread was made by Bowerman using a waffle iron to imprint them. While a number of them were handed out to runners at the 1972 Olympic trials, the pair that were auctioned were thought to be the only one not to be worn.

However, after Adol's Facebook revelation, now it seems there exists another pair of the rare Nike sneakers and they are right here in Malaysia.

The shoe, created during Nike's infancy, is one of only a handful given away for the 1972 Olympic Trials, seen sitting inside a waffle iron here during the Sotheby's auction on Tuesday.

Image via The Washington Post

The Canadian collector plans to display his set of Moon Shoes at his Dare to Dream Automobile Museum in Toronto

"I think sneaker culture and collecting is on the verge of a breakout moment," Nadal said, adding that he was thrilled at his purchase, calling the "Moon Shoe" a "true historical artefact in sports history and pop culture" as reported by The Guardian.

He revealed that he plans to display them, along with the other 99 pairs he acquired in a private sale last week, at his private automobile museum in Toronto.

For the other 99 rare or limited collection sneakers offered by Sotheby's on Tuesday, Nadal paid a whopping USD850,000 (RM3.5 million) in total.

You can check out the Facebook post about the Malaysian owner of the so-called Nike "Moon Shoe" here:

"Wow, RM1.8 million. He thinks there is only one pair left out of 12 pairs that were made. Turns out a Malaysian Nike collector also has a pair. Awesome, Hatu Guni!"

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