1960s Chuck Taylors... To wear or not?

January 11, 2011 5:25 PM

Found some original 1960s Chuck Taylors for $4.00 at the thrift store in excellent condition. I've seen them listed on ebay for $100-$250. Should I wear them or allow them to appreciate in value? They are awesome shoes but if these could potentially be worth some dough, I guess I could forgo wearing them.

Here's a pair on ebay in worse condition than mine.

Here's some more info on vintage Chucks, and mine are white just like the pics.

posted by lowdirt to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (14 answers total)

Do you need the money? If not, what are you going to buy for $100-$200 that's cooler than some original Chucks?

I vote wear them, but sparingly.
posted by auto-correct at 5:28 PM on January 11, 2011 [3 favorites]

Either go to the trouble of selling them now or wear and enjoy them completely. You don't know what the market will be for these in the future and you'll have to house them carefully in the interim.
posted by Morrigan at 5:35 PM on January 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Check what they've actually sold for on eBay, not what they're listed for (be particularly leery of valuations on auctions with an option for a "Best Offer"). "Possibly unworn" 1960s Chucks sold at $82. I would flip them now if you're inclined to do that sort of thing in general; there's certainly an easy buck to be made, but if you'd like to wear them, wear them. Not worth storing unless you have a huge attic and a deep affection for a hypothetical grandson.
posted by kmennie at 5:39 PM on January 11, 2011

Sell them and buy new Chucks.
posted by Pecinpah at 5:41 PM on January 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Original Chucks are pretty awesome, but they're not going to net you a yacht. It's not worth giving up the bragging rights. Wear them!
posted by katillathehun at 5:55 PM on January 11, 2011

People spend upwards of $100 on casual shoes all the time...no reason why yours shouldn't happen to have vintage cachet to boot! Wear and enjoy.
posted by Pomo at 6:00 PM on January 11, 2011

Put 'em up with a reserve of like $150-$200. No sale? Enjoy. Sold? Profit!
posted by gjc at 6:05 PM on January 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Wear them sparingly (on carpet more than asphalt, perhaps with a fur to the opera à la Edward Gorey), and enjoy. The new Chucks are junk.
posted by Scram at 6:20 PM on January 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

The main difference is that there's a label inside the tongue? Sell them.
posted by hydrophonic at 6:21 PM on January 11, 2011

I agree with gjc. If they don't sell for that high, then wear them. I feel that if you had them new-in-box then that would be worth hoarding. Otherwise, they probably won't go up in price that much since 750 million pairs were manufactured and sold. Nike purchased the company in 2003, so you can feel extra pleased that you found authentic ones.

And they are white? Find a way to customize them! They are just going to get worse with each outing anyway. I kind of miss my old Chucks now.
posted by chinesefood at 6:33 PM on January 11, 2011

Response by poster: I sent Edward Gorey Christmas cards. These will be saved for when I'm feeling fancy--money be damned!

Thanks all
posted by lowdirt at 6:47 PM on January 11, 2011 [2 favorites]

Are you shoes a common Asian foot size like a 7- 10? I've seen vintage Chuck's sell for close to a thousand dollars in Japan.
posted by cazoo at 7:14 PM on January 11, 2011

Thrift stores are for treasures. Wear them and enjoy them. It is serendipity that they were there for you in the first place - would you offend the Fates by selling their gift at auction? No! You thank your good karma and enjoy.

At least, that's my thrift shop philosophy.
posted by maryr at 7:36 PM on January 11, 2011 [6 favorites]

sell with reserve as suggested below. Alternately you can sell to a store like flight club, although I do not know if there is a store that would accurately value them except in japan.
I also think you are unlikely to get more than $200 for a few reasons:

1)They are not new in box. The box is like a cert of authenticity. Getting a box of the same size, year, and color is tough.

2)Not too many converse fetishists are collectors. Sorry indie kids and old punk dudes, I know you love converse or whatever, or even have 20-30 pairs, but not too many of you guys have shoe basements full of shoes like this:
http://www.sojones.com/news/1098-a-sneakerheads-haven/
there are adidas and new balance collectors out there too, but not too many all converse. this also owes to the fact that converse has not had many different shoes, very few colorways, and few rarities.

3)Converse reprinted every shoe ever. The shoes you get now look almost the same as the 60's ones and are readily available at any mall. Yeah, Jordan 1's have reprinted in red/wht/blk, but only twice, and even the reprints are worth 500 bucks!
http://www.flightclubny.com/p.php?fc=ny&c=aj&sc=aj1&i=010004

Give it a shot. Look for a private collector. Ebay with reserve could give you some leads, maybe? I think that a Japanese or hardcore private collector sale is your best bet. good luck!
posted by wuzandfuzz at 8:25 PM on January 11, 2011