Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Black Toe'

A different reading of Bulls colors

The 'Black Toe' arrived in 1985, in Michael Jordan's rookie season, as one of the first Air Jordan 1 colorways. It takes the Chicago scheme of white, black and red and rearranges it: a white leather base, black on the toe box, the eyelets and the ankle collar, black Swooshes, and red on the heel and outsole. One sneaker writer called it 'a unique interpretation of the Chicago color scheme.'

A collector archive dates the colorway to September 1985 and records only two Air Jordan 1 colorways that Jordan wore in NBA games: the 'Chicago' and the 'Black Toe.' Even so, the Black Toe rarely made it onto his feet during games. It appeared instead in promotional ads, Bulls team photos and Nike photo shoots.

One of those photo shoots matters more than any game. According to release coverage of the 2016 retro, the Black Toe was the shoe Jordan wore in the photo that inspired the Jumpman logo, which first appeared on an Air Jordan with the Air Jordan 3 in 1988.

Peter Moore's shoe, Nike's big bet

Nike signed Jordan in 1984 to a deal reported at $500,000 a year for five years, plus royalties. Peter Moore designed the Air Jordan 1 and its 'Wings' logo. The shoe went on sale in April 1985 at $65, and Nike sold $70 million worth of Air Jordans in the first two months.

The NBA required shoes to be at least 51% white and to match team colors, and a league letter dated February 25, 1985, cited Jordan's sneakers.

A long road back to 1985

The first returns of the Black Toe were not faithful. In 2007 it appeared in the 'Old Love/New Love' package as a mid-top with a Jumpman on the tongue, sold only as a pair with a black-and-yellow shoe, and many fans skipped it. In 2012 it came back on the canvas Air Jordan 1 KO, again with Jumpman branding. A leather high-top retro followed in 2013.

The November 5, 2016, release, style 555088-125 at $160, was the one collectors had been waiting for. It returned the 'Nike Air' logo to the tongue, as on the 1985 pairs, and used a full leather build. Coverage noted one difference: the 1985 originals had a black tongue, while the 2016 pair has a white one.

The colorway kept moving. The 'Black Toe Reimagined' released February 15, 2025, at $180 for men's sizes, with 'Air Jordan' script on the ankle. Original 1985 pairs remain scarce; a size 10 from 1985, with interior coding '10 851012 ST-P,' has been offered at auction with an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000.

On October 3, 2026, a U.S. sneaker reseller listed the 2016 Black Toe from $368, more than twice its retail price.

How to identify the 2016 pair

The size label should read 555088-125. The upper is white leather with black leather on the toe box, eyelets and ankle collar, and red on the heel and outsole, with a nylon tongue carrying the 'Nike Air' tag.

The tongue color is the quickest tell against an original: white on the 2016 pair, black on 1985 pairs. The 2025 'Reimagined' pair adds 'Air Jordan' script on the ankle, and the 2007 version is a mid-top with Jumpman branding, so neither should be confused with this retro.

The numbers

Release date

November 5, 2016

Retail price

$160

Style code

555088-125

1985 retail price

$65

Production

Not stated by Nike

Timeline

1. 1984

   Nike signs Michael Jordan; Peter Moore designs the Air Jordan 1.

2. Apr 1985

   The Air Jordan 1 goes on sale at $65.

3. Sep 1985

   The 'Black Toe' is among the first wave of Air Jordan 1 colorways.

4. 1985

   Jordan wears the Black Toe in a Nike photo shoot later credited with inspiring the Jumpman.

5. 1988

   The Jumpman logo first appears on an Air Jordan, the Air Jordan 3.

6. 2007

   A mid-top Black Toe returns in the 'Old Love/New Love' package.

7. 2012

   The colorway appears on the canvas Air Jordan 1 KO.

8. 2013

   A leather high-top Black Toe retro releases.

9. Nov 5, 2016

   The Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Black Toe,' 555088-125, releases at $160 with 'Nike Air' on the tongue.

10. Feb 15, 2025

    The 'Black Toe Reimagined' releases at $180.

11. Oct 3, 2026

    A U.S. reseller lists the 2016 pair from $368.

The world in 2016

• Feb 7, 2016

  The Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50.

• Apr 13, 2016

  Kobe Bryant scores 60 against the Utah Jazz in his final NBA game.

• Apr 21, 2016

  Prince dies at 57.

• Jun 19, 2016

  The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors to win the NBA Finals.

• Aug 5, 2016

  The Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics open; the U.S. wins 46 gold medals.

• Nov 2, 2016

  The Chicago Cubs win the World Series, their first title since 1908.

• Nov 8, 2016

  Donald Trump is elected the 45th president, three days after this shoe's release.

Price record

This is an asking price, not a sale. It is what a seller wanted on the date shown. Asking prices often sit above what buyers pay, but an ask is not a ceiling: a sale can land on either side of it. It is not a value.

By reference price, Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'Black Toe' is number 71 of 100 in the sneakers entries of the FLOAT 100. 22 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (68 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• The Black Toe is one of only two Air Jordan 1 colorways Jordan wore in NBA games, yet it rarely appeared in games at all.
• Release coverage credits a Black Toe photo shoot with inspiring the Jumpman logo.
• 1985 Black Toes had a black tongue; the 2016 retro has a white one.
• The first Black Toe retro, in 2007, was a mid-top sold only in a two-shoe package.
• The 2016 pair released three days before the 2016 presidential election.