Whenever somebody asks about turning points in the sneaker culture, this will come up! Already 20 years old, the first Nike SB Pigeon Dunks took the culture from the underground to the public! But what happened since then? Are they still as valuable as they were? What about the new editions? Let’s go through them all right now!
Nike SB Pigeon Dunks: Pretty Fly Since ‘05!
Alright, so it’s 2005, and Nike decided to release a City Pack of Nike SB Dunks. The four featured cities were Paris, London, Tokyo, and finally New York City. They were all works of art, but our main concern right now is the NYC edition!
The OG Nike SB Dunk Pigeon
Nike chose Jeff Staple, owner of Staple Design to create his take on the NYC Dunk. The end result? It was the Nike SB Pigeon Dunk that became one of the most famous kicks in the history of Dunks. Other kicks that made it to this list are the Supreme x Nike SB Dunks! Jeff Staple chose the pigeon because every New Yorker out there just knows that these unpopular residents became part of their everyday lives. What better represents New York than the little details that residents tend to look over?
Only 150 pairs of the kicks dropped, 30 of them ended up in Staple’s Store Reed Space. No need to do the math there. With only 30 pairs and hundreds of eager sneakerheads, a full-blown riot broke out! The NYPD had to escort the lucky buyers in and out of the store for their own safety. All in all, it was a pretty huge event that became one of the days where sneaker culture left a mark in everyone’s memories!
Release Date: February 22, 2005
Retail Price: $200
Avg. Resale Value: $13,608
So as we can clearly see, the kicks are worth a fortune. Who knew a pigeon could be this popular?
2006: Nike SB Pigeon Wears Purple
All the people who didn’t get a chance to rock the original release got another shot with 2006’s purple edition. However, these weren’t an actual Staples signature, not that this stopped sneakerheads from buying them! We don’t really know whether Nike intended to drop them with that name, or it was the community who gave it to the kicks! This colorway was actually less expensive than the original Nike SB Pigeon. However, it can still make you earn a good amount of money if you luckily own them!
Release Date: November 1, 2006
Retail Price: $65
Avg. Resale Value: $992
2007 Got Us Saying What the Dunks?!
Nike debuted the concept with the Nike SB Dunk Low by combining some of the most popular colorways in one pair of sneakers! And naturally, Nike SB Pigeon had its obvious share with the pigeon embroidery on the side of the mismatched pair. Oh, and by the way, Kylie Jenner wore this right after her breakup with Adidas!
Release Date: October 1, 2007
Retail Price: $120
Avg. Resale Value: $5,954
The Black Comeback of the Nike SB Pigeon in 2017
Did you think the purple colorway was the grand finale? Well, you’re wrong! Black Nike SB Pigeon Dunks made their appearance in 2017. And sure enough, they sold out at the speed of light. Although not as popular as the original Pigeons, the Nike x Staple collab still held a special place in sneakerheads’ hearts.
The kicks were initially released in Reed Space Pop-Up, a block away from the original Reed Space store. To the surprise of the lucky first sneakerheads, their editions of the Black Pigeon was laser engraved with LES 022205.110717. These numbers stand for the initial Nike SB Pigeon release date and the 2017 release date!
Release Date: November 11, 2017
Retail Price: $110
Avg. Resale Value: $311 (Regular) – $557 (Engraving)
2019’s Nike SB Pigeon Dresses Up as a Panda!
I mean, maybe it was just having a midlife crisis, no judgment there. This colorway was actually a previously rejected sample. The Nike SB Pigeon became a Pigeon Panda with black and white upper! The sock liner featured the word SAMPLE, but it changes to end up saying STAPLE. Finally, the outsole was a reference to the “Sneaker Riot” of 2005. So all in all, it was a great throwback with some new elements.
However, one more interesting bit is not the shoe itself. It’s actually the release dates that went from January 7 through 25! Moreover, some pairs came in special boxes, and a panda engraving on the side.
Release Date: January 7-25, 2019
Retail Price: $110
Avg. Resale Value: $340 (Regular) – $683 (Special Box) – $780 (Special Box + Engraving)
2020: Nike SB Pigeon in… Marble?
Yes, yes, a marble sculpture of Nike SB Pigeon is Jeff Staple’s latest shenanigan! This shoe is now forever immortalized by Staple and the sculptor Alasdair Thomson. The result was a very very realistic sneaker in white-grey marble! The last touch is a gold pigeon logo near the heel. The kicks are not wearable, obviously, but I had to put it out there. Naturally, it sold out immediately. But really, we should give some credit to the actual pigeons, they’re the MVP of all of this!!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B75-LOUg8HK/
Don’t forget to keep it locked here for next week’s TBT! In the meantime though, you should definitely check up on Yeezy 750 Chocolate and Kaws’ Jordans.