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The Air Jordan 1 is the most crowded shoe in sneakers — hundreds of colorways, three cuts and a resale market that used to punish anyone who bought late. That last part has changed. Several of the best Jordan 1s of the last few years now sit at or below their retail prices, and this month added a fresh OG Royal at retail. These are the ten we would spend money on today.
Resale prices move fast and vary sharply by size — check the live listing before paying. Prices shown are U.S. retail at release unless marked as resale, before tax, shipping and marketplace fees. Confirm the style code, size and condition on the seller's page. This is the Jordan 1 companion to our best Air Jordan 4s guide.
How we chose: what makes a Jordan 1 worth buying now
We ranked on three things: the colorway itself, the current price against its own retail, and how wearable the shoe is week to week. That filters out most of the catalog. Collaborative pairs with four-figure resale did not make the cut — they are collectibles, not buys. Neither did colorways that only work in a rotation of twenty pairs. Every shoe here is either available at retail, trading below retail, or priced close enough to its sticker that the premium is honest.
Cut matters too, so this list mixes Highs and Lows on purpose. The High OG is the original 1985 shape with Nike Air branding and the best materials in the line. The Low OG keeps that same shape language in an easier daily shoe. What you will not find here is the Mid: it has its place at its price, but with Highs and Low OGs trading this close to retail, the Mid's usual value argument is weaker than it has been in years.
There is a bigger shift behind these prices. As we covered in the widening sneaker landscape, buyers have more places to put their money than they did during the Jordan 1's peak years — and Jordan Brand releasing more pairs means the patient buyer wins. Use that. The pairs below are the proof.
The 10 best Air Jordan 1s to buy in fall 2026
PICK 01 / BEST FRESH DROP
Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Royal’ (2026)
$185 · U.S. retail · released October 10, 2026
The easiest buy on this list, because it just happened. The Royal returned in High OG form on October 10 at $185, in the black and blue blocking that has anchored the Jordan 1 since 1985. Early sizes move, but this is a general release, not a lottery ticket — check Nike and Jordan retailers before you pay a resale premium on a shoe that is still restocking. If you want one pair that goes with everything and carries real history, start here.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 02 / BEST CHICAGO
Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Chicago Lost & Found’ (2022)
From $192 resale · $180 at release · style DZ5485-612
The Reimagined Chicago is the rare modern retro that earned its aged details: cracked collar leather, a yellowed midsole and packaging styled like a pair found in the back of an old stockroom. Retail was $180 in November 2022, and recent checks had pairs starting around $192 resale, with common sizes averaging higher. That is a modest premium for the most wanted colorway in the line — compare your size across marketplaces before paying, because the spread between sizes is wide.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 03 / BEST BELOW-RETAIL VALUE
Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Love Letter’ (2026)
$185 · U.S. retail · resale averaging below retail
Released August 1, 2026 at $185, the Love Letter pairs soft tones and premium materials with a story drawn from Jordan's farewell letter to the game. The useful part for buyers: it has been trading below retail on resale, with averages reported around $138 in September checks. A High OG with real materials, sitting under its own sticker price, is exactly the kind of buy this market keeps offering — take the discount instead of chasing heat.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 04 / BEST AT-RETAIL HIGH
Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Flight Club’ (2026)
$185 · U.S. retail · still listed at retail
The Flight Club landed April 11, 2026 in a black woven textile upper with University Red detailing and Sail accents, a nod to the membership program Jordan Brand ran in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Months later it was still listed at Nike and Foot Locker at the $185 retail price. No raffle, no resale markup, no story needed — just a wearable High OG you can buy like a normal shoe, which is still a novelty worth using.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 05 / BEST BUDGET BUY
Air Jordan 1 Low OG ‘Banned’ (2026)
$145 · U.S. retail · many sizes below $100 resale
The cheapest way into a proper Jordan 1 story right now. The Banned Low OG released May 2, 2026 at $145, retelling the black and red origin story in low-top form — and recent checks found most sizes under $100 on resale, below even its modest retail. Lows wear easier than Highs for a lot of people: no break-in at the ankle, quicker on and off, and a shape that works year-round. At two figures, this is the pair to beat up without thinking about it.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 06 / BEST NEW LOW
Air Jordan 1 Low OG ‘Howard University’ (2026)
$155 · U.S. retail · released October 1, 2026
The newest shoe here. Released October 1, 2026 at $155, the Howard University Low OG puts the school's navy, white and red combination on the clean OG low cut. School colorways live or die on wearability, and this one passes: navy and white carry the shoe, red stays as an accent. It is fresh enough that retail and early resale sit close together, so buy it at retail while that is still the easy option.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 07 / BEST NEUTRAL
Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Dark Mocha’ (2020)
Resale only · $170 at release · style 555088-105
Six years on, the Dark Mocha remains the template for the earth-tone Jordan 1: white leather base, black Swoosh and collar, and that suede mocha heel that goes with nearly everything in a wardrobe. It was $170 at release in October 2020 and is resale-only now. Prices vary a lot by size and condition, so treat lightly worn pairs as a real option — the suede ages well, and a clean used pair wears the same as a deadstock one after a week.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 08 / BEST COLOR POP
Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘University Blue’ (2021)
Resale only · $170 at release · style 555088-134
The University Blue is the bright counterpart to the Mocha: white base, black details and a Carolina blue that has been tied to Jordan since college. Released March 2021 at $170, it settled from its early resale peak into a far more reasonable buy, and it remains one of the easiest Jordan 1s to style — the color does the work, everything else stays simple. Check the suede panels closely in listing photos; light blue shows wear faster than darker colorways.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 09 / BEST ORANGE
Air Jordan 1 High OG ‘Shattered Backboard’ (2025)
$180 · U.S. retail at the 2025 return
The Shattered Backboard story — Jordan breaking a backboard in a 1985 exhibition game in Italy, and the black, orange and white of the uniform he wore — produced one of the most loved non-Chicago colorways in the line. The 2025 return put it back within reach at $180 retail after years of four-figure resale on the 2015 original. If you missed it at release, it is still the orange Jordan 1 to hunt: bold, but blocked simply enough to wear weekly.
Find buying links on our picks pagePICK 10 / BEST EVERYDAY LOW
Air Jordan 1 Low OG ‘Mocha’ (2024)
$140 · U.S. retail at release · style CZ0790-102
The low-top answer to the Dark Mocha, and for a lot of rotations the better buy. The Low OG Mocha arrived September 2024 at $140 with the same white, black and mocha formula in the easier-wearing cut, on the OG low shape with Nike Air branding. It has held its value better than most Lows, which tells you how often people actually wear it. If your Highs sit in boxes and your Lows get worn, this is the one to pay for.
Find buying links on our picks pageWhat to know before buying a Jordan 1
High, Low or Mid? High OG is the collectible and the best-built. Low OG is the same design language in the shoe most people wear more. The Mid uses different materials and a Jumpman tongue tag instead of Nike Air — fine at retail, hard to justify at resale prices when the OGs above cost what they currently cost.
Sizing is consistent, mostly. Jordan 1s generally fit true to size in length, with a fairly narrow toe box. If you are between sizes or prefer a roomier fit, half a size up is the common move. Leather pairs break in and crease — that is normal for this shoe, and it is why our store and picks page carry the crease protectors and care gear most Jordan 1 owners end up buying anyway.
Buy the size, not the listing photo. On resale, the same colorway can differ by $50 or more between adjacent sizes. Check at least two marketplaces, confirm the style code matches the pair you want — several colorways here share names across years — and factor fees and shipping into the total before deciding a pair is cheap. And if a price looks far below every other listing, slow down: the Jordan 1 is the most replicated shoe in the market, so buy through platforms with authenticity checks.
THE QUICK ANSWERS
Air Jordan 1 buying FAQ
What is the best Air Jordan 1 to buy in 2026?
For value, the High OG Love Letter trading below its $185 retail. For the classic pick, the High OG Royal that released October 10, 2026 at $185 — buy it at retail while restocks last. For the icon, the Chicago Lost & Found, starting around $192 resale in recent checks.
Are any Jordan 1s below retail right now?
Yes. The Low OG Banned has traded below $100 in many sizes against a $145 retail, the High OG Love Letter has averaged below its $185 retail, and the High OG Flight Club was still listed at retail months after release. Exact deals depend on size — check the live price.
What is the difference between the Jordan 1 High OG and the Mid?
The High OG follows the 1985 original: higher cut, Nike Air tongue branding and generally better leather. The Mid sits slightly lower, uses a Jumpman tag and simpler materials at a lower retail price. At today's resale levels, the High OG is usually the smarter spend.
Do Air Jordan 1s fit true to size?
Generally yes for length, with a narrow fit through the toe. Wide feet or between-sizes buyers often prefer half a size up. Highs need a short break-in; Lows feel easier from the first wear.
Jordan 1 High or Low — which should I buy first?
Buy the cut you will wear. The High is the original and holds the culture weight; the Low OG gets more weekly wears for most people and costs less. If budget allows one pair from this list, the Royal High and the Mocha Low are the two safest first buys.
YOUR TURN