While people in America are busy purchasing game-worn jerseys and shoes of Michael Jordan through auctions, an Australian has taken fandom to another level. What possibly could you collect, other than shoes or jerseys as a fan? Well, this man from Perth decided to show his love for the Chicago Bulls legend by collecting figurines. And this addiction started nearly two decades back. This could soon earn him a meet-up with the 6x NBA champion himself.
Collecting toys might sound simple, but Joshua De Vaney has spent more than $100k over the years. His impressive collection has now got the attention of a famous Nike Executive and Michael Jordan’s son Marcus.
Australian fan’s two-decade hunt could finally get an answer
De Vaney’s dream was to collect every Jordan toy in the world. E-Bay has helped him with it. However, a doubt sparked when the toys came with no packaging. De Vaney decided to contact a US toy manufacturer to clear his doubts. According to his words, “The lady I got a hold of at Ohio Art was in the archives department and she happily received my email and asked where I received all these toys from. I told her eBay,”
Four weeks later, De Vaney was informed that those figurines were prototypes and had never hit the market. There were a total of 48 prototypes and the Australian already had 32. According to reports, these figurines were promoted back in 1988.
Soon after this, he was invited to the art company where he was shown the Archive room, which had none of the prototypes. What’s to be noted is that a defective product that De Vaney owned helped the Ohio Art company to confirm that he held the prototypes.
De Vaney revealed, “Out of all the ones that I have, this one has a white chest and that’s a paint flaw from the factory. And the Nike tick is also reversed.” Well, this defective toy could help him meet Jordan soon.
Nike’s Howard White and Marcus Jordan get in contact with the Perth collector
De Vaney believes he has done all this only to have a conversation with his idol, Michael Jordan. Only a loyal fan would purchase toys for more than $100k. And luckily for him, these are prototypes. A sale of even one toy could earn him a good fortune. However, considering his true love for the 5x NBA MVP, De Vaney will not be looking to sell it.
Instead, reports have revealed, he has got in touch with Jordan’s son Marcus and the Jordan brand Vice President Howard White. The Perth collector is just a word of mouth away from meeting the 60-year-old. De Vaney added, “I’m sure it’s just gonna blow his mind to think ‘How did an Aussie get this toy to here?’”
