Air Jordans worth over $10,000 found in shelter donation bin

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- An Oregon shelter is auctioning off a rare discovery from its donation bin -- a pair of gold Air Jordan 3 sneakers commissioned by Spike Lee and valued at more than $10,000.

Sotheby's auction house said a participant in the transitional shelter program at the Burnside Shelter, operated by the Portland Rescue Mission, was sorting through donations earlier this year when he found the gold shoes at the bottom of a bin.

Tinker Hatfield, designer of the Air Jordan 3 sneakers, paid a visit to the shelter to examine the shoes. He confirmed they were a custom pair of Air Jordan 3 shoes commissioned by Spike Lee to wear to the Academy Awards in 2019.

Hatfield provided the shelter with a replacement box and a framed and signed design proof.

The shoes, valued at more than $10,000, are being auctioned by Sotheby's with 100% of the hammer price going to the Portland Rescue Mission. They are expected to fetch up to $20,000.

Bidding on the shoes is open through Dec. 18.

It was unclear how the shoes came to be in the donation bin.