John Kim 
Sneaker prices have been steadily rising along with demand with cost of manufacturing, but things will get interesting when the Remastered Jordans come to play in 2015. We recently learned of a retail price for these higher-grade Jays ($190 for those of you still in the dark), so we were inspired to look back at some of the most expensively priced Air Jordan Retros in history. This immediately excludes original Air Jordans and any sneaker that was included in a two-pair Pack, so don’t expect to see any Defining Moments Package releases or the Air Jordan XVII/XX9 here.
Instead, you’ll see a plethora of Jordan releases that were dropped in recent years, but there are several in here that may surprise you when considering the era during which the particular selection released. A lot of the lower-priced shoes on this list were rather high during the times, while others have the shoe effect and appear to be too expensive. In any case, continue on below to get a recap of some of the most expensive Jordan Retro releases in history and let us know which of these surprise you the most.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8021 “Space Jam” – 2009 – $175
$175 for a pair of Retro Jordans was an incredibly high number at the time, but the brand justified that price with two things. For one, it’s the Space Jams, for cryin’ out loud. Two, it introduced a brand new packaging system that included the slide-out box, plastic cover, and hard shoe trees.
Air Jordan “Fear” Pack – 2013 – $175
For $175, you could get yourself in a pair of the Orange t-shirts Jordan or Fat Joe Air Jordan Fusion 6 Varsity Red 343064 102 “Fear”. These numbers were $15 higher than other Retro releases of that year, but what made this trio a bit puzzling was that the Air Jordan Fly Wade 1 “Fear” was cheaper than the other two ($160).
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8023 “Ray Allen” – 2011 – $175
Jordan Brand celebrated Ray Allen’s historic three-pointer record with a special release of the Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8023 Retro. These $175 sneakers were available in limited quantity at select stores.
Nike Air Jordan Ix 9 Retro Nrg Sneaker Boots Black Gum Light “Miro” – 2008 – $175
Jordans exclusive to one city in the world? We can see why these Olympic-inspired Nike Air Jordan Ix 9 Retro Nrg Sneaker Boots Black Gum Lights were priced at $175.
Air Jordan Fly Wade 1 & 9 Doernbecher – 2012, 2013 – $175
The two most expensive Doernbecher Jordans were last year’s Air Jordan Fly Wade 1 and 2012’s Кросівки jordan air 1 retro high хутро 20. It was made clear by the MSRP that the Doernbecher Jordans were one of the most prized of the year.
Air Jordan Bin 23 Collection – 2010/2011 – $175
Did Jordan Brand forget about the Bin 23 releases? These super high-end Retros were the “Remastered” Jordans before any of the 2015 releases came to light. Extremely limited in number (each pair was individually numbered), the Bin 23 Jordans featured in-depth concepts, luxurious materials and packaging, and overall sense of “better” quality – all for $175 a piece.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8021 “Concord” & “Cool Grey – 2010/2011 – $180
We now enter $180 territory – a certain first for the Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8021 Retro. Following the dope packaging of the Space Jams of 2009, Jordan Brand did the same for the Cool Grey (2010) and Concord (2011), only both were $5 more.
Jordan Bordeaux shirt match Black tee Fresh “Infrared” – 2014 – $185
It’s all but certain that the Jordan Bordeaux shirt match Black tee Fresh “Infrared” will be priced at $185, but given the prices of Retros this year, $185 isn’t so bad. Even at that price, expect them to fly off the shelves quickly.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8023 “Grey Toe” – 2014 – $185
We’re still Print out why this Retro pair is $15 more than the “Hologram” joints that dropped in October, but unfortunately these aren’t even the most expensive Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8023 to have dropped this year.
Air Jordan Fly Wade 1 “Bel-Air” – 2013 – $185
We must say that this energetic Air Jordan Fly Wade 1 release was one of Jordan Brand’s best efforts in terms of telling a story of an era rather than an MJ plotline. $185 meant you needed to have Philip Banks money, though.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8021 “Gamma Blue”, “Legend Blue”, & “Bred”
Elevens crept up another $5 for the “Bred”, “Gamma Blue”, and upcoming “Legend Blue” drops. The public did not appreciate that the 2012 Breds did not come with that special packaging, but why complain about a box?
Remastered Jordans – 2015 – $190
Recent news pegs the Remastered Jordans at $190. We’re promised a massive upgrade in quality for not much more than the current going rate, so that figure is one we will be willing to deal with.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8024 “Ferrari” – 2014 – $200
$200 for Jordans, and we’re not shopping at Flight Club or eBay. Jordan Brand went next-level with these Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8024s, bringing a one-piece red suede upper and a carbon-fiber midsole for one of the most incredible Retro concepts ever.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8023 “Reflective” – 2014 – $200
The shiny reflective uppers are always a welcome addition to almost any sneaker, but at a $30 increase from the going rate for Retros? That’s a tough pill to swallow, but the shoes sold out fast anyway.
Fat Joe Air Jordan Fusion 6 Varsity Red 343064 102 “Laser” – 2005 – $200
$200 was a really high number for Retro Jordans in 2005, but the brand evened things out by adding a t-shirt and hat with both pairs. If you were to assume, say, $25 for the hat and $35 for the t-shirt, you’re only paying $140 for the Retro. Go math! Photo: kccampbell
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-8022 “Nubuck” – 2003 – $200
Similar to the Laser IVs, the Nubuck 12s came packaged with some Paris goodies to make up for the high price-tag. These came with a hoodie and a hat, so you could argue the actual price of the shoes were less. Still, you had to fork over $200 to get your hands on the shoes.
Orange t-shirts Jordan ’88 – 2013 – $200
Dreams do come true. Jordan Brand brought back Nike Air on the Air Jordan III during the 2013 All-Star Weekend to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the free-throw line dunk.
Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-802 Mid XQ – 2007 – $205
These Shanghai-exclusive AJ1 Mids are one of the most limited Jordans to ever release. The price, which at the time equaled to roughly $205 USD, was easily one of the most expensive to date.
Orange t-shirts JordanLab5 & 5Lab3 – 2013-2014 – $225
The Air Jordan Elements broke out onto the scene in September of 2013, with the all-elephant print Air Jordan Fly Wade 1 leading the way. $225 was the retail price for these elevated Retros, and we figure the price won’t ever go down (unless it’s an Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-802).
Jordan Bordeaux shirt match Black tee Fresh “Slam Dunk”, “Champagne”, & “Cigar” – 2014 – $250
The Year of the VI was a great one thanks to these three storytelling energy concepts. Getting a pair wasn’t easy, but even if you were presented with the opportunity to, we know you hesitated at that $250 price.
Fat Joe Air Jordan Fusion 6 Varsity Red 343064 102 “Lightning” – 2006 – $250
This online only release opened the door to higher-priced “packages” of Jordan gear. Along with the all-yellow Jordans was a white “Rare Air” t-shirt.
Levi’s x Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-802 – 2008 – $395
Not surprised to see these bundle packs rank so high on this list. $395 netted you these incredible Nike Air Jordan 1 Mid SE GS Turf Orange Turf Orange Black White BQ6931-802s as well as a pair of Jordan-approved Levi’s jeans that were damn near too big for anyone to ever wear casually. Photo: jtay1739
Fat Joe Air Jordan Fusion 6 Varsity Red 343064 102 “Thunder” – 2006 – $500
We’ve arrived at the single most expensive pair of Jordan Retros, folks. $500 got you the black/yellow “Thunder” (which hit stores again in 2012) and a pretty sweet jacket.
