Image of "The One Line" Nike sneakers. (Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions) WASHINGTON - Sneakerheads looking for a new pair of kicks to add to their collection will have a chance to bid on a rare pair of Nike sneakers produced in 1981.Nike co-founder Phil Knight created the classic blue-and-white sneaker to gain the upper hand in a feud with the U.S.
government when the renowned sneaker company was getting off the ground between the 1970s and 1980s.The sneaker company created what was described as a fake competitor brand called "The One Line," a knockoff version of the Nike Oceania running shoes from the 1970s and 1980s.Nike quietly manufactured the knockoff shoes.
The "One Line" kicks were released in limited supply and didn’t have the Nike branding or signature swoosh logos.RELATED: Air Max Day: Nike's most iconic shoe celebrates its 32nd anniversaryAccording to Heritage Auctions, Nike was involved in a lengthy tariff battle with the U.S.
Government’s Customs and Treasury departments that almost put the sneaker titan out of business.Image of "The One Line" Nike sneakers. (Photo courtesy of Heritage Auctions) The government agency used a Great Depression-era tariff called the American Selling Price of 1922 (ASP) to go after Nike by sending the company a bill for $25 million.This bill was sent to Nike as a back payment for shoes imported from international factories years earlier that the shoe company couldn’t afford to pay.