The Jordan 1 Patina is a special sneaker and one that, as you’ll see, is great for everyday wear. In this article, we take a deep dive into the Jordan 1 Patina. We’ll look at a brief history of Jordan 1’s, what materials make up the Jordan 1 Patina, and how it’s currently performing on the sneaker resell market!

Jordan 1 Patina official image. Image via GOAT.
Jordan 1 Patina official image. Image via GOAT.

Air Jordan 1 History

Michael Jordan’s NBA rookie year earned him a position on the Chicago Bulls, but it also landed him a $2.5 million endorsement contract from Nike.

The Jordan 1 was, as named, the first installment of the Michael Jordan sneaker era and is by far the most popular style of Jordan out there.

“Jordan’s shoe, the Air Jordan, debuted boasting many of Nike’s signature basketball features—compressed air pocket in the heel, additional ankle support, and an overlay on the toe. It’s the inaugural logo, and the wings on the shoe’s side set the bar high for what was to follow in terms of design.”

The Air Jordan 1 was not a sneaker and is not a sneaker, that is preferable to play basketball in. But, as we said, it was the first installment and allowed Nike to absolutely take off.

One massive reason why the Jordan 1 became so popular was that they were actually banned from the NBA. Every game that Jordan wore red, white, and black on the court, he was fined $5,000.

Nike footed the bill and used it as an opportunity to advertise the shoes as it was a situation that many people were talking about at the time.

Image of Michael Jordan wearing the Jordan 1's.
Image of Michael Jordan wearing the Jordan 1’s.

Jordan 1 High ‘Shadow’

  • Retail Price: $160
  • Average Resell: $524
  • Release Date: Saturday, April 14th, 2018
  • Colorway: Black / Medium Grey / White
  • Style Code: 555088-013
Image of the Jordan 1 Shadow. Image via StockX.
Image of the Jordan 1 Shadow. Image via StockX.

Before we take a deeper look into the Jordan 1 ‘Patina’ we are going to take a look at a visually similar pair, the Jordan 1 Shadow.

Here’s the StockX description:

Despite the name, the Air Jordan 1 Shadows are a pair that will put any fit of yours firmly in the spotlight. This very rare OG colorway has now hit shelves only three times, making these a must-own for any AJ1 collector. The shoe features a black and grey leather upper with original “Nike Air” branding on the tongue tag and insoles, along with a white midsole and black outsole. Dropping in April of 2018, they were released in mens and gradeschool sizes.

StockX

The Air Jordan shadow is one of the most popular colorways of the Jordan 1, primarily due to its simplicity and ability to make any outfit.

The colors are quite similar to the Patina but are restricted to just black and gray. You’ll notice they have the old Jordan 1 retail price of $160, but average over $500 on the resell market.

If these are a pair that you would like to get your hands on, you’ll definitely have to pay a good amount. This is a great segway into our main event, which you’ll notice has a slightly higher retail price but a much lower resell…

The Air Jordan 1 ‘Patina’

  • Retail Price: $170
  • Average Resell: $192
  • Release Date: Tuesday, May 4th, 2021
  • Colorway: Black / Grey-Rust
  • Style Code: 555088-033
Image of the Jordan 1 Patina.
Image of the Jordan 1 Patina.

And here we have the Air Jordan 1 Patina. The sneaker, as you can see, contains more color than the Jordan 1 Shadow and uses some different materials.

Like most Jordan 1’s, the Patina contains a black leather upper. The leather that is used on Air Jordans is definitely a high-quality material that is built to last.

The Jordan 1 is quite a sturdy sneaker and not one that you need to be careful with.

What’s different about the Patina is the copper finish overlays that create an interesting visual appearance, as you can see from the photo above. When the sun hits them, they almost reflect and create a statement piece.

The Nike Air logo is also printed on the tongue of the Jordan 1 Patina in a mint green, which adds a small pop of color to an otherwise muted sneaker.

Similar to the Jordan 1 shadow, the Jordan 1 Patina can go with almost any outfit. The lack of bright colors and “exciting” design allows the pair to be an everyday staple that has been appreciated in the sneaker community.

When people look for how hyped or popular a sneaker is, they usually look at the average resell price and compare that to the retail price. The story is that those statistics don’t tell us how many pairs are on the market.

If there are 100,000 pairs released, a sneaker selling for double the retail price is absolutely crazy.

While we don’t know exactly how many pairs of the Jordan 1 Patina were actually originally released by Nike and Jordan, we do know how many pairs have been sold on StockX alone.

To date, over 5,300 pairs of the Jordan 1 Patina have been resold on StockX. That’s quite a high number for a generally “regular” Jordan 1 and gives some insight into the resell numbers.

Since there are so many pairs on the market, it’s tough to create a healthy profit. This is why reselling the Jordan 1 Patina’s will probably only net you a very small profit, if at all.

But that doesn’t mean that the sneakers aren’t loved. Take the Adidas Ultraboost for example, a sneaker that you can still get for retail but is absolutely loved by the sneaker community.

Sometimes it’s not always about profit, but a love for sneakers that creates the hype and demand for a pair.

That’s it from us here at Sneaker Flippers for this article, we hope you enjoyed it and maybe even learned a thing or two. We’ll be back very soon with more educational content covering everything you can possibly imagine in the sneaker reselling world.

Until then, check out our Hypemaster Playbook and our Cook Group. They are the most surefire ways of making a profit in this sneaker game, and you’ll make your money back almost instantly!


Is creasing Jordan 1 Normal?

A crease on any shoe is perfectly normal, even if you don’t like the way it looks. It’s bound to happen over time if you wear your Nike sneakers enough.

How can you tell if Jordan 1s are fake?

The outer tag and the common issues with the swoosh. 2. The inner tag detail and wording. Looking at the front label, you can see clearly on the fake version that the swoosh has a waviness to it, a common pattern amongst fake Jordan 1’s.

What is the most expensive Jordan 1?

Air Jordan 12 (Flu Game) – $104,000. The Chicago Bulls were playing the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals, with the series tied at 2-2.

What is the rarest Air Jordan?

Air Jordan 4 UNDFTD. With only 72 pairs made, the military-inspired sneaker was released through an online charity auction and in-store raffle. From its scarcity to its sometimes five-figure price point, the UNDFTD 4 is classified as one of the rarest Air Jordans.

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Author

Jimmy McPherson

Jimmy McPherson

Jimmy is the former founder of Midwest Soles, a sneaker and streetwear reselling company. He's a current business student with a continued passion for sneakers and sneaker reselling.

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