Do you wear size 12.5-13, have $75,000 to spend, and want a collection of 300 sneakers that dates as far back as 1982? If so, MC Serch is selling his sneaker collection, and it goes beyond the average deadstock sneakers that can be found floating around on eBay and Instagram—it's literally a capsule of hip-hop's history.
"I first started collecting in 1980, that’s when I first started copping two pairs of Puma Clydes," Serch said. "I was working for this store called Morton's Army/Navy. They had the illest sneaker collection. I’d cop two pairs because I wanted one for work and one for being fly and standing out."
Like most of us that have a true passion for sneakers—and borderline hoarder tendencies—Serch began to stack his sneakers, and then his collection grew. "My mom had such a big basement, that I would forget that I copped a pair and stashed it away. Five years later, I’d have a color that no one else had. So by the time I was graduating high school, I was stepping out with sneakers that were two to three years old," Serch said.
While Serch might have gained an appreciation for the rarity and exclusivity that holding onto a sneaker can bring in his high school days, his addiction for pairs skyrocketed once he started 3rd Bass. "3rd Bass just enhanced it when I met Pete and our road manager, Sake," Serch said. "We’d be shooting a video, and Sake would stop into our shoots and say, 'There’s a homeless guy selling grey/mesh Air Force 1s for $12 a pair.' We’d run up the block to cop every pair he had."
As for the sneakers Serch is selling, there are some newer releases such as Supreme x Nike Air Foampsoites Ones, Nike Air Yeezy 1s, and the Masterpiece Air Force 1s from 2007. But he's also letting go of pairs that a lot of 'heads, unless they were collecting in the '80s and '90s, haven't seen in person before. "95 percent of my collection is all originals, so they go back to ’82, ’85, ’90-’94. A lot of them are around 20 years old," Serch said.
That means his collection is full of old Air Force 1s, Huaraches, O.G. Air Maxes with proper-sized Air units, and Nike Basketball sneakers—along with vintage adidas and Pumas— that have never seen a correct retro. This is stuff that a lot of people pray Nike will bring back. But what sets this collection apart from other pieces that can be picked up here and there is that it was owned and worn by Serch as he took center stage in monumental hip-hop moments.
Still, it's hard for people to give up something they really love, especially sneakers, but Serch knew it was time. "I’m in Florida now and I don’t have a basement. If I still had a basement, it would be a different story. Because I’d be able to look at them and enjoy them. But they’re sitting in air-conditioned storage unit a mile away from my crib," Serch said. "I can’t enjoy them like I used to."
Collecting sneakers, though, isn't just about stacking them and waiting to flip them at the opportune moment. It's about appreciating them and learning why you like a certain sneaker or silhouette so much. And although Serch's collection is on the market for $75,000, that breaks down to just $250 per sneaker. So if you're looking to get his collection and sell it, don't even try. "I don’t want to sell them for the price I’m going to sell them for and find out someone is going to flip and sell them," Serch said. "I would probably buy them back. I want someone to buy it and see a period of sneaker culture from 1989 to the present and see how it’s evolved aesthetically."
For those interested in acquiring Serch's collection, they can email sneakers@mcserch.com with questions and to obtain more information. You can view the rest of the collection here.
