The best Michael Jordan cards to collect: His unusual rookie card situation and more

New York Times

17-03-2025

Michael Jordan's impact on both the NBA and the growth of the basketball card industry has left a lasting influence.
The five-time NBA MVP's trading cards have been graded by PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator), by far the largest grading company, over 1.6 million times, unquestionably the most by any athlete (Ken Griffey Jr. is a distance second with more than 700,000). Jordan also consistently leads eBay's list of most searched athletes more than 20 years after he ended his playing career once and for all. His one-of-a-kind legacy and the Jordan brand's continuing cultural influence beyond the court both contribute to the massive demand for basketball cards and collectibles that we see today.
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So what are the best options when it comes to the large selection of Jordan trading cards on the market? We can't list them all, but here's what we like at a wide range of price points.
1987 Fleer #59
Jordan's 1987 Fleer #59 is my top value recommendation based on it being one of the first official NBA-licensed trading cards of his career. Another factor is its reasonable cost in near-mint PSA grades (currently about $450) compared to the high-end price of his 1986 Fleer which makes it especially appealing to the average collector.
The value of sports cards can fluctuate for various reasons such as condition, print runs, or graded population. Other factors that can cause prices to go up or down include player performance, market trends, and health of the wider economy. The secondary sales market for individual cards of a given sport generally hits its lowest point during the offseason (in other words, you can usually find better prices in the offseason than during the season). My recommendations are not an attempt to promote specific investment behavior or trading advice, but to guide and inform readers about popular and unique cards that are celebrated by the sports card community.
Ultimately, the best cards to collect are always the ones you will personally enjoy most, regardless of whether they go up or down in value. The recommendations below should serve as a starting point for cards to consider, but a big part of the fun in collecting is the hunt for the cards you like.
Cards can come out of the pack (their 'raw' state) with a wide variety of imperfections that can impact their value. Card grading is a process in which an expert of the field determines the condition of a card based on a number of factors (including corner sharpness, image centering, print imperfections, and more) and assigns a numerical grade, usually on a scale of 1-10 (with the latter being close to perfect) and sealed in a protective case. There are a number of grading companies, each with their own unique grading scales, but PSA is by far the largest and most prominent in the industry. Cards graded a 'PSA 10' can carry a significant value multiplier compared to raw cards or those graded by other companies.
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It's fine (and often cheaper) to buy cards raw, but if you want to ensure authenticity and/or a minimum condition level, and you're not experienced at determining card condition for yourself, you may want to buy a graded card instead — particularly if you're buying online and only able to see the card in photographs.
This is a category for collectors who are on a tighter budget or aren't as concerned about the long-term monetary value of the cards they buy.
1993 Topps Finest #1
Topps Finest cards are generally recognized as one of the earliest chromium basketball sets in modern collecting, so I had to include the first NBA-licensed chrome card of 'His Airness' from 1993.
Unlike traditional paper cards, chrome cards use a thicker, shinier paper stock, which gives them a polished, metallic look. The card's darkened portrayal of Jordan commanding a rebound that's accompanied by a colorful background may not look as aesthetically pleasing as today's modern chrome cards, but it's a testament to the industry's innovation over the last three decades.
Despite the set's claim to fame in the hobby, this card lands in the low-end section of the price ranges because of the surplus of MJ 1993 Finest base cards produced and graded. As a result, Raw and PSA 8 copies of this card are fetching around $50.
The set also offers a refractor that I'd highly consider if you are interested in a limited parallel of his base card and are willing to spend a bit more money.
The significance of this being Jordan's first chrome card during his NBA career and the mainstream appeal of chrome sets to both novice and experienced collectors alike makes it a desirable one.
More expensive variations and parallels: Refractor
1997 Metal Universe #23
Fleer's Metal Universe is one of the most appreciated basketball sets of the 1990s and known for its ultra-rare and highly coveted Precious Metal Gems parallels and out-of-this-world base card designs.
The front of Jordan's 1997 Metal Universe #23 card features an image of him soaring through outer space on his way to the rim for a sensational dunk — a particularly fun design for the star of the original Space Jam movie. I'd argue it's Jordan's most beautifully designed base card from this era.
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The recognition and high price tag of Jordan's Metal Universe PMGs have caused a growing demand for his more accessible base card from the set.
Even though it wasn't not issued during his rookie season or early in his NBA career, the nostalgic aspects of this card design have it selling ungraded for around $50-$100.
More expensive parallels of this card: Precious Metal Gems (Red /100, Emerald /10)
This is a category for collectors looking to pay a bit more for cards that have some degree of scarcity and have a better chance at retaining or increasing in value long-term.
1987 Fleer #59
Most fans are generally priced out of some of the first Jordan cards that were produced, but his 1987 Fleer #59 won't break the bank and is still one of his earliest NBA cards. Even though Jordan's rookie season was in '84-'85, in terms of nationally distributed sets that were available in traditional packs and boxes, it's considered his second-year card.
When Jordan made his NBA debut, basketball cards were not being made by major companies like Topps and Fleer because of a lack of interest. Since he didn't have an official industry-standard rookie card during his first NBA season and this one marks his second appearance on a Fleer basketball card (his first coming in the now iconic '86-'87 set), the collecting community deems it to be the sophomore card of MJ's career.
The card's centering issues (collectors and graders want the design elements to be close to dead center on both the front and back of the card, but the manufacturing process can be imperfect and make that difficult to find) have resulted in a small number of PSA-graded examples at the highest end of the scale — only 215 have received a PSA 10. Out of the nearly 20,000 examples of this card submitted to the company, less than 3,000 have received a PSA 9 or 10 grade.
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The more affordable price of his 1987 Fleer #57 in raw and near-mint PSA graded copies, combined with it being one of his first official NBA cards is why this is my best value recommendation. Raw and graded up to PSA 8 copies of his second official NBA-licensed card are selling for between $200 and $500 on eBay.
1988 Fleer All-Star #120
Jordan has three cards in the 1988 Fleer set, which marks the third year the company produced official basketball cards of the NBA's new superstar.
Jordan's 1988 Fleer All-Star #120 card is generally less recognized than his #17 base card from the set, but the image of his free-throw line dunk from the 1987 Slam Dunk contest is much more iconic than the one used for his base card.
According to the PSA population report, there are less than 19,000 examples of this card graded by the company, and under 4,000 have received a Mint 9 grade. (For comparison, there are around 28,000 PSA graded examples of his 1988 Fleer #17 and about 8,200 PSA 9s.)
Despite the card's relatively low supply in high grades, PSA 9 copies are selling for under $500. If you prefer to buy the card not graded, you can own one for less than $100, depending on its condition.
Jordan's 1988 Fleer All-Star card is a must-have for basketball card historians and represents a monumental moment in his career before the MVP awards and championships.
This is a category for collectors looking to acquire the most desired Jordan cards on the market.
1986 Fleer #57
The overall importance of Jordan's 1986 Fleer #57 is undeniable and heavily influenced the future of basketball card collecting as we know it today. While it's technically not Jordan's first NBA card (more on that shortly), it's widely accepted as his official rookie card.
The gap in the production of nationally distributed NBA cards between Topps' last offering at the time in 1982 and Fleer's return to making traditional NBA sets in 1986 make that year's checklist a who's who of rookie cards. At 50 cents per pack upon release, collectors had a chance to pull rookie cards of Jordan, Charles Barkley, Hakeem (then 'Akeem') Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Patrick Ewing, Dominque Wilkins, and Karl Malone — just to name a few eventual Hall of Famers.
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PSA has graded around 25,000 copies of Jordan's most famous card, with less than 350 receiving a Gem Mint 10 grade. As I write this, PSA 10s are selling between $165,000 and $200,000 (down from an all-time high of $840,000 achieved during the pandemic boom of 2021). On the flip side, graded examples that have received the lowest score (PSA 1) are selling in the range of $2,000.
Since the legendary set's release, Jordan's Fleer #57 rookie card has become a cultural phenomenon and is the most treasured sports cards on the planet. It's one card I hope to add to my collection one day (even if it's a PSA 1).
1984 Star #101
Although the hobby has long crowned Jordan's 1986 Fleer as his most coveted card, the 1984 Star #101 is his first NBA card with the Chicago Bulls.
Before Fleer released basketball cards in 1986, Star made limited amounts of NBA-licensed cards from 1983 to 1985 that were mostly distributed as team sets through specific NBA promotions and were not released in conventional packs. Since Star cards were not produced at a nationwide scale or available in traditional packs, many collectors classify this card as an extended rookie card, or 'XRC.'
Its low quantity in raw and PSA graded copies cannot be understated and is one of the major selling points of Jordan's 1984 Star #101 card. PSA has graded less than 400 copies with only three receiving a PSA 9 (one of which sold for $925,000 in 2024) and none graded higher. It's worth noting that the lack of PSA graded cards stems from many counterfeits produced during the 1980s and 90s. The difficulty of differentiating the real card versus fake copies proved to be too troublesome, which caused PSA to stop accepting authentication or grading submissions for 1984 Star basketball cards for a time. However, in 2022, the company announced it would resume grading and authenticating Jordan's highly coveted Star #101. Since then, the demand and popularity surrounding the card have skyrocketed, with sales of near-mint-to-mint examples graded by PSA reaching six figures.
Having said that, the fact that it predates Jordan's historic 1986 Fleer makes it a key card to own for his hardcore fans.
1993 Upper Deck Skylights
Once Jordan propelled the popularity of the NBA to new heights, overproduction came to basketball cards in the early '90s, making most of his cards in that era largely worthless. But with overproduction came more variety and fun inserts, like '93-'94 Upper Deck's Skylights, which featured players soaring across the skyline of the city in which they played. The result were cards that looked like the ubiquitous sports posters of that time. Jordan's Skylights card was particularly fitting. You can get a raw example of it for just a few bucks, but the production flaws of that period make PSA 10s relatively rare (just 221 out of more than 2,700 graded) and valuable.
Upper Deck MJ's Final Floor
Michael Jordan's shot to end the 1998 NBA finals and seal his sixth championship is arguably the most iconic moment in the league's history. Jordan retired for the second (but not final) time after that series and Upper Deck decided to commemorate the occasion by buying the actual court Game 6 was played on from the Utah Jazz and put pieces of it into trading cards. The result were these MJ's Final Floor cards that are a unique item for any fan of Jordan or The Last Dance. Be aware that there are regular-sized versions of these cards and jumbo-sized versions, with the smaller ones generally carrying the higher price tag.
1996 SPx #8 Autograph card
The first official autographed cards of Jordan in a Chicago Bulls uniform were offered by Upper Deck in its debut release of 1996 SPx Basketball. The innovative set introduced collectors to Holoview technology for the first time, a process that creates unique hologram cards with a perimeter die-cut design.
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Collectors who purchased packs in hopes of pulling the set's biggest chase card certainly did not have luck on their side, with one Jordan SPx autograph redemption card found in every 34,560 packs.
In exchange for the pulled redemption card, Upper Deck sent back the autograph card with a serial numbered hologram sticker on the back and a separate authentication card that matched the numbers on the sticker. The original redemptions that were placed in packs and redeemed have a serial that starts with BAC or BAD. Other autograph versions of this card with different hologram prefixes were not included in SPx packs and were distributed by Upper Deck as promotional giveaways at Jordan's basketball camps.
Aside from obvious reasons, Jordan's autograph cards command four-figure prices because he simply does not sign cards as much as he used to. The main reason for this is that he has an exclusive autograph deal with Upper Deck, who haven't produced NBA-licensed trading cards in nearly 15 years.
Adding any Jordan autographed card to your collection would be a special achievement, but the 1996 SPx is a particularly special one. (The non-autographed 1996 SPx #8 card is still cool too, and much more affordable and readily available).
1991 Upper Deck Baseball #SP1
When I think about the popular multi-sport athletes, Jordan usually takes a backseat to players like Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders. However, his transition to professional baseball in 1994 produced some really cool and somewhat surreal cards.
Although this card was made before his stint playing in the minor leagues, the 1991 Upper Deck baseball checklist included a fun short print card of Jordan hitting batting practice in a Chicago White Sox hat and uniform. The image of the card was captured at Wrigley Field before the 1990 Windy City Classic between the Cubs and White Sox. (A 'short print' is a card that is produced in significantly lower quantities than other cards in the same set.)
It's still a relatively common card that can be purchased for less than $20, but PSA 10 examples sell between $400-$500.
Prices for a certain trading card can vary wildly and fluctuate quickly, making it important to check recent sales of a given card to make sure you're buying at a fair value. You can check recent sales of an item on eBay by selecting the 'sold items' filter on search results. You can also run a search on 130point.com, which is a free site that provides sales data from a number of top online marketplaces. There are also several apps that provide more in-depth sales data, often charging subscription fees for full access.
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To account for outliers and scams, it's important to consider multiple previous sales, not just the single most recent. It's also important to note the recency of those sales and any real-world factors that could affect changes in value.
As a second-generation collector, Tyler Holzhammer started collecting cards and attending the National Sports Collectors Convention at 10 years old. He's evolved his passion as a collector into a career, previously providing sports card content and market analysis for companies like Sports Card Investor and Goldin Auctions. Tyler's sports card collection is centered around players from his favorite teams, the Los Angeles Rams and the St. Louis Cardinals.
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