The world's first pair Converse sold at RM40,800 within a day

 

The world’s very first model of Converse non-skid shoes in 1917 belonging to a 31-year-old vintage and antique shoes collector, Wan Irfayuim Azim Wan Ab Aziz, was sold in less than a day.

The shoes were sold at the set price of RM40,800 to another vintage shoes collector in Kuantan, Pahang.

Wan Irfayuim said he was contacted yesterday by a Facebook account holder “Dynamo Rasqputin”, who expressed interest to buy the 104-year-old shoes.

“Within a few hours of posting the sale of the shoes on Facebook, the buyer sent me a message and a deal was struck within eight hours.

“The buyer will pay in instalments and after the full payment is made, we will discuss handing over the shoes,” he said when contacted by Malaysiakini today.

Yesterday, Malaysiakini reported that Wan Irfayuim, who was staying in Kota Bharu, Kelantan had to sell his favourite shoes as he was impacted by the economic fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic and the movement control order 3.0 (MCO 3.0).

The shoes were sold together with a pair of shorts and knee protectors that dates back to 1916 and was once worn by a basketball player from the US at the time.

“In the current situation where the economy is uncertain, with a heavy heart, I had to sell one of my favourite collections of shoes for RM40,800,” he had said yesterday.

“If I may describe how I feel, I would say it is a mixture of joy and bitterness,” he said.

“This is because the collection of Converse shoes has historical value and was sentimental to me but the current situation did not allow me to keep them,” he said.

He, however, felt thankful that the buyer is a local, as such keeping the first Converse model in the country.

“I am working on a guidebook on vintage shoes, and it will be easy for me to make reference if the shoes are still in Malaysia,” he said.

“If the situation allows, I may get the shoes back. However, it depends on my financial ability,” he said.

Meanwhile, the new buyer said he made the purchase because of the high value of the shoes both in the overseas market and from a historical aspect.

“I bought them at RM40,800 with a humble heart, sane-minded and without coercion, and let us witness how many pairs of these shoes will be sold to oversea markets,” he said on Facebook.

“I can prove that the vintage collection is a business and investment at this time,” he said.  - Mkini