Now, the question remains if the shoe will be a long-term success in the collectibles market.<\/p>\n
The $399 \u201cNever Surrender High Tops,\u201d offered in a limited edition of 1,000, have already sold out, according to GetTrumpSneakers.com, a retail site that says it is not affiliated with any political campaign. Trump unveiled the pricey footwear, done in gold coloring with what\u2019s described as a \u201cT\u201d badge and an American flag collar, at the Sneaker Con show on Saturday in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is something that I\u2019ve been talking about for 12 years, 13 years. And I think it\u2019s going to be a big success,\u201d Trump said at the gathering.<\/p>\n
Resellers on eBay Sneaker collectors, otherwise known as sneakerheads, are known to pay top dollar for in-demand shoes. Pairs with an initial retail price of $100 to $300 can indeed immediately skyrocket on the resale market \u2014 and some can continue to climb for years.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For example, Sotheby\u2019s, the prominent auction house, points to a number of Nike The Trump shoes stand to benefit from two key factors, experts say. The first is Trump\u2019s brand name and his loyal cadre of supporters.<\/p>\n \u201cHis fan base is just massive. No matter what he drops, it\u2019s going to sell,\u201d said Justin Roper, a sneakerhead who hosts his own conventions<\/a> across the country, including upcoming ones in Cleveland, Wilmington, Del., and Atlantic City, N.J.<\/p>\n The second factor is the limited run of 1,000 pairs. Put the two together and you have plenty of collectible potential.<\/p>\n Not to mention the sheer uniqueness of the item. \u201cHe\u2019s the first president who\u2019s released a shoe,\u201d said Kenny Berbick, an avid sneakerhead and one of the owners of EBKICKS, which makes a shoe-cleaning solution.<\/p>\n At the same time, what\u2019s hot one day in any collectible market can quickly lose luster. Trump remains a highly controversial and divisive figure. Everyone may seemingly love Michael Jordan, but Trump clearly has more than his share of haters.<\/p>\n Frank Luntz, a veteran political pollster and communication consultant who has a collection of more than 250 sneakers, questioned if Trump will end up mass-producing the shoe to the point that it has little to no value.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll be selling for less than $100 a year from now,\u201d he told MarketWatch by email.<\/p>\n As it is, Trump is already offering two other Trump-branded sneakers \u2014 one in white, another in red \u2014 for $199 each. Both are available for pre-order on the GetTrumpSneakers site.<\/p>\n Tom Peeling, a longtime collector of political memorabilia, said it may take time, even decades, to sort out what a Trump sneaker will be worth. Just a few presidents \u2014 namely, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy \u2014 have seen sustained value for collectibles that featured them, said Peeling, who edits the magazine of the American Political Items Collectors organization<\/a>.<\/p>\n Given that reality, Peeling added that if he had to choose between a $400 Trump sneaker or a $500 Lincoln campaign badge, he\u2019d go with the Honest Abe collectible.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure [the Trump shoe] would hold up over time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Officials with Trump\u2019s 2024 campaign didn\u2019t respond immediately to a MarketWatch request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n EBAY,
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\n are already hawking a pair for anywhere between around $1,500<\/a> to $45,000<\/a>. Still, sneaker and political-memorabilia experts remain divided as to whether the shoe can hold its value.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>
Trump\u2019s $399 \u201cNever Surrender High Tops\u201d have already sold out.<\/h4>\n
\n Getty Images
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n NKE,
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\n Air Jordan sneakers that sell for $15,000 to $32,000<\/a>. The Michael Jordan-branded line launched in the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n