Latest news with #Fleer
Hypebeast
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Hypebeast
JOOPITER Unveils Rare 1986-87 Michael Jordan Signed Rookie Card
Summary Pharrell Williams'JOOPITERis set to host its premier sports collectibles sale, featuring an exceptionally rare and highly sought-after 1986-87 Fleer #57Michael JordanRookie Card. This particular card was signed by Jordan himself in 2024 at an exclusive signing witnessed and authenticated by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA). It's one of only three in existence with a PSA Mint 9 card grade and a perfect Gem Mint 10 signature grade by PSA/DNA. This remarkable collectible showcases the sports legend in his iconic #23Chicago Bullsjersey, commemorating his breakout rookie season. The 1986-87 Fleer set itself marked a significant evolution in the sports card collecting hobby, and no card of this grade has been sold publicly in the past. 'As JOOPITER boldly enters the world of sports collectibles, we are thrilled to debut with a true masterpiece – a PSA Mint 9/10 Fleer #57 Michael Jordan Rookie Card. Signed by Jordan, with extraordinary provenance, this card is one of the finest collectible basketball card examples to ever come to market,' Caitlin Donovan, Global Head of Sale at JOOPITER, said in a statement. Check out the card above. The collectible will be open for global bidding on theJOOPITER websitefrom June 16 to June 25, 2025.
New York Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Michael Jordan card prices are surpassing pandemic peaks — why now?
There are many theories why the value of sports cards exploded during the pandemic but the fact itself is undeniable. The peak prices achieved then are viewed as an outlier, a bubble, something to be ignored when looking at the otherwise linear appreciation of vintage cards. But four years after that market peak of early 2021, that's not true for a subset of low-population cards of the long-retired athlete most identified with this period. These cards are now hitting new highs, surpassing even peak pandemic levels. Advertisement According to Bryan Denison, 'Cajun Cardboard' on YouTube, a Michael Jordan card collector who closely tracks their values, the most recent Fanatics Collect auction saw multiple Jordan cards exceed or meet prior-highest-ever prices. Denison has a 41-part series on YouTube where he ranks Jordan cards based on 'demand, aesthetics, scarcity and value.' His top tier of Jordan cards out of the 378 he assesses (you can see all four tiers listed out here) are mostly low population cards from the 1990s in high grades. This tier consists of 27 cards. While it includes his iconic 1986-87 Fleer rookie card for its demand, Denison's most heavily-weighted criteria, the card's value is currently a fraction of its all-time high (last sale of a gem-mint PSA 10 grade example sold for $348,000 in April and the all-time high was $645,000 in February 2021) while others are soaring. Top row: 1997 Metal Universe PMG Green #23 /10, 1997 Metal Universe PMG Red #23 /100* (Qty. 90), 1997 Metal Universe Championship PMG #23 /50, 1998 Metal Universe PMG #1 /50, 1998 Skybox Molten Metal Fusion Titanium #41 /40, 1997 E-X2001 Essential Credentials Now #9 /9, 1997 E-X2001 Essential Credentials Future #9 /72, 1998 UD Choice Starquest Gold #SQ30 /100, 1997 Finest Die-Cut Gold Embossed Refractor #154 /74 Middle row: 1998 Fleer Tradition Playmakers Theatre #9 /100, 1986 Fleer #57, 1997 Ultra Stars Gold #1, 1998 Hoops Slam Bams #1 /100, 1984 Star #101, 1997 Skybox Premium Team Skybox Star Rubies #235 /50, 1997 Skybox Premium Star Rubies #29 /50, 1998 Skybox Premium Star Rubies #23 /50, 1997 SPx Grand Finale #6 /50 Bottom row: 1997 E-X2001 Jambalaya #6, 1997 Flair Showcase Row 0 Legacy Collection #1 /100, 1997 Flair Showcase Row 1 Legacy Collection #1 /100, 1997 Flair Showcase Row 2 Legacy Collection #1 /100, 1997 Flair Showcase Row 3 Legacy Collection #1 /100, 1996 Flair Showcase Row 0 Legacy Collection #23 /150, 1996 Flair Showcase Row 1 Legacy Collection #23 /150, 1996 Flair Showcase Row 2 Legacy Collection #23 /150, 1998 NBA Hoops Starting Five #23 /5 Advertisement It was that Jordan rookie card that became the symbol of the exploding sports card hobby during the pandemic. The combination of a housebound nation and the suspension of sports made his 'The Last Dance' docuseries a phenomenon. During its 10-episode run that spanned five weeks, 'The Last Dance' became the most viewed documentary in ESPN history. Then it transferred to Netflix, attracting nearly 24 million more international viewers. It turned out that many wanted to cap the experience by spending some of the money they saved by not being able to do anything or go anywhere on Jordan cards, particularly targeting his rookie card, a category long regarded as the best investment among buyers. 'Cards actually entered a boom in 2018,' Denison said. 'At least what anyone in their right mind would consider a boom. Then the pandemic scared everyone (in the hobby) — we thought cards would go down. But they went up. … Then the Jordan doc hits and creates a wave of nostalgia and a massive increase in demand early in 2021. 'But it was uneducated, FOMO (fear of missing out), unsophisticated. People ignored the fundamentals of card populations and what was certain to happen once grading got back online. There were thousands and thousands of cards that were going to be added to (graded) populations. So it was inorganic growth. You can say the supply was unknown but savvy people knew. Remember, 95 percent of cards in the hobby don't matter at all. Only five percent do. And for the five percent of cards, the so-called pandemic peak will prove to be just a speed bump.' The Jordan rookie, according to Denison, is too common to meet all of his top-tier criteria. According to CardLadder, which tracks trading card prices and populations, there are more than 47,000 graded examples of that card. That includes over 900 in gem mint condition. Denison said he sold his perfect Jordan rookie during the peak and put all that money into other Jordan cards in lower populations that were being largely ignored by newbie investors, 'big-money fund managers and rich people' who he says 'knew nothing about this market.' As iconic as the Jordan rookie card remains in the hobby, it's been mired in a post-peak malaise, relatively speaking. A PSA 8 (NM-MT on a scale of 1-to-10) sells for about $8,000-to-$9,000 now, according to CardLadder, far off its pandemic high of $20,000. Even if you ignore the top of the market that spiked dramatically and quickly retreated over a period of just a few months, your five-year return on investment on a Jordan rookie card is only about 30 percent. The S&P 500 has doubled in value in the same period. Advertisement But contrast that to Denison's rarities, which are at least matching and often selling well above prior highs. In a recent video, he highlighted eight cards, including a Jordan 1997 Flair Showcase Legacy Row Two numbered to 100 in PSA 8 condition, a 1996 Topps Mystery Finest Borderless Refractor and a widely issued 1992 Upper Deck McDonald's Hologram that's very hard to find in gem mint condition due to printing issues. Denison used historic prices to illustrate how all reached new highs, with the Topps Mystery selling for over four times more than its previous top sale. Savvy buyers are embracing the fundamentals of supply and demand. 'With the way modern cards are trending, people are going for true rare and scarce,' said Juho Whang, a New Jersey-based collector/investor who also sets up occasionally at shows. 'I collect Jordans. Focusing on scarcity is the way to go — 1990s playing days in a Bulls' uniform in low population and in high grade.' Whang warns that you need pretty deep pockets to pursue these cards at current prices, which are well into the four figures at a minimum. Whang added that he has an 8.5 BVG (Beckett graded) rookie Jordan and that the card had been worth as much as $17,000. But it's now worth about half that. If you ignore the very brief pandemic-fueled period where the card could have fetched that top amount, Whang said the card is 'basically keeping up with inflation.' Denison has his Top 10 Jordan cards listed on the Fanatics Collect website. They are not listed in order. When pushed to pick a top five in order of expected return, he listed the 1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems at the top (the Red, Championship and Green), 1997 SPx Grand Finale, and 1997 Skybox Premium Star Rubies. All of those cards had print runs of 100 or less. Denison and Whang agree these are old-school concepts rooted in the vintage, '50s and '60s era where the supply of cards is a paramount consideration. Back then, parents created scarcity by throwing children's cards away every year. For the past 30 years or so, that scarcity has been manufactured into the products. But sometimes it's due to the rarity of a common card in high grade. Advertisement Jordan's popularity is expected to endure. He is still consistently the most searched athlete across all sports on eBay every month, beating out the hottest stars of today. His brand and especially his sneakers keeps him relevant to new generations, and it was recently announced that he'll be joining the NBA coverage on NBC as a special contributor. He's widely considered to be at that Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle level of transcendent sports superstardom that will never fade in the eyes of the public. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Power ranking the new Pope cards
No matter what our religion, our belief, our faith, our worldview, or many other spiritual-related quandaries, we can all agree on one thing: Pope cards will never be worth anything. But man… they are cool. Advertisement Why do we collect? Is it to hoard cards for years in hopes they double in value, only to sell them and lose that entire accrued value through fees and shipping costs? Is it to gamble your hard-earned money away by watching someone rip open packs of cards on a webcam while making highly inappropriate comments ? Is there something greater? Could it be some people just collect… for fun? I can tell you I fall into the final camp. Fine, yes, I will buy Burger King advent calendars and SI For Kids issues in hopes of selling them for profit. But who doesn't? (Don't answer that, I know it's 'kids'). But at the end of the day, I buy cards because they're cool. ' Where Monsters Live '? THEY GLOW! Glenn Hubbard 1984 Fleer ( check it out on eBay )? THERE'S A SNAKE!! Pope Leo XIV Leaf Metal? PIZZA !! And it wasn't just Leaf… and it wasn't just pizza. As the bells were still ringing in Rome, Topps also announced Pope cards… and I blew my monthly collectibles budget on buying multiples for family members. Although to be clear, the pizza and hot dog are for me. Advertisement I will put them all in a plastic tub, and in five years I'll rifle through the Pope cards and remember a fun little day of work slowing down and everyone watching the news. Well worth the $9.99 plus shipping! On to the rankings! 5. Leaf Metal Skyline card – eh. 4. Leaf Metal Snow card – it was May when the new pope was announced. And I enjoy a holiday-themed card as much as anyone, but it didn't make sense for a second. Then I thought it was white smoke and someone just mis-labeled it. . But no, it is snow. 3. Leaf Metal Hot Dog card – I like the idea, and I fact-checked to make sure there was no ketchup, but it felt more stock image than truly Chicago-ey Advertisement 2. Topps NOW Pope Leo XIV card – I think this will be the eventual classic 'official' version. It's fine, the photo looks great, and it has a good 'feel' to it. 1. Leaf Metal Pizza card – I will regret not buying more of these just to support the creativity of it all. A few more notes on 'Pope' cards: This guy has too much money or free time to send this many Pope cards to PSA (you may have to read the item description). There IS a Pope Francis 'rookie card' — it was given away at Citizens Bank Park when he visited the U.S. in 2015 ( Buy it on eBay ). That all being said, the Allen & Ginter 2013 card ( check it out on eBay ) is an inexpensive way to grab a Pope Francis card that has a great look and feel to it. More than 134K people purchased the Pope Leo XIV Topps NOW card, making it the best selling non-sports NOW card of all time. You know what was cool that time has kind of forgotten about? The Mickey Mantle x Topps boxes from 2021 ( check it out on eBay ). The cards had great designs, you had a shot at some pretty valuable stuff… and then it just kind of floated into Cards Ether. I often wonder why it never caught on. Were there too many Mantle reprints made over the years as inserts? And so $10 then (and $30-$40 now) for a five-card pack that might ultimately result in five shiny reprints is a bit of a money vacuum ? Maybe the chase cards weren't sexy enough… maybe it just came out at the wrong time? This was peak NFT annoyance on the timeline. Advertisement I bought five boxes at the time. I can't remember if it was that typical 'frenzied chase at exactly noon' or if they were on the site for a few days and you could just pop in and buy at your pleasure. And while the opening experience was fun, I was very much 'okay now what?' with a stack of 50 reprints. I'm sure they're in a tub somewhere, but when I open and flip through they won't have that same 'ah yes remember when' nostalgia of my Pope pizza card. I try to include as much fast food news as possible here, as Mantel 's CEO Evan (who now bylines himself on the Thursday newsletter that he prefers over this one) enjoys it, but… nothing shaking this week, unfortunately. McDonald's is in its refractory period after the Minecraft run — but they kick off Stitch next week! Random thought of the week: I am glad pins do nothing for me. I never got into them but I can see how one can drop a lot of money on some cool ones. By the way, on the whole Mickey Mantle topic, there was a great story in The Athletic about the infamous 'vulgar letter' and its current owner: McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown. Who goes on to detail his collector-dom. Advertisement I don't want to speculate on Brown, who I only know through this one column, but he feels like someone who posts on Mantel. Probably. Maybe. Likely. Is this libel? Have a good week everyone!! May all your Pope cards arrive in PSA 10 condition! Your collection deserves a community. Download Mantel today.
New York Times
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
How Tom Brady, Derek Jeter, and Bobby Witt Jr. turned sports card passion into business ventures
Bobby Witt Jr. is still like every kid cracking open the doors of a local sports card shop for the first time. 'It's something that has always been a goal and dream of mine just to kind of have your own card shop,' the Kansas City Royals All-Star shortstop said. The same can be said for Witt's childhood idols — Tom Brady and Derek Jeter. Advertisement All three have put their desire to be a part of the business of sports cards into practice in various forms. Brady, Jeter and Witt spoke to The Athletic about their love for collecting sports cards and their continuous desire to increase their business interests within the booming hobby. They're certainly not the only former or current athletes diving into sports cards as collectors or as business investors, either. But these two legends and one modern-day perennial MVP candidate are setting examples that could prompt others to follow. Brady cracked open his brown padded binder covered in circular hologram stickers found in Upper Deck baseball card packs from 1989 and the following few years. Each page inside was filled with nine cards, mirroring the binders of so many children growing up in that era when Topps, Donruss, Fleer and Upper Deck flooded the market. 'I've collected the past 40 years, so I've got a pretty intense collection,' the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said. 'I got really engaged in the hobby when I was a kid, and it was the only thing I ever collected, like a lot of us my age. I collected a lot of baseball cards and my mom, it was a reward when I got a good grade that she would bring me down to the hobby shop in downtown San Mateo (Calif.) to buy all the different cards that were available. 'So I kept the collection for a long time, and it was actually in my closet at my parents' (house) for a long time, and my house in the Bay Area where my parents still live. And finally when I got out of college, they shipped it all back to me and I basically kept it for the last 25 years.' Tom Brady shows off his childhood baseball card collection… — Topps (@Topps) April 12, 2025 Brady said he owns thousands of his own cards, as well as being an avid collector of Joe Montana, Michael Jordan and numerous baseball players. 'So they're all graded and they're in a safe,' Brady said. Even though Brady's more prominent current roles include Fox color analyst and part owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, attaching his name to a growing number of sports card stores may have been the easiest, and most enjoyable business venture he's entered post NFL retirement. Advertisement CardVault by Tom Brady opened its fourth brick and mortar store in early April. The lofty goal for Brady and his partners will be to open one store per month with the hopes of franchises across the country. Brady said the goal for a national and global footprint within the industry is attainable because, thanks to an expected confidence from the greatest quarterback in NFL history: 'I think we do this better than anybody in the world.' 'You know at the end of the day it's the industry, but we love sports,' Brady said. 'And we love sports that bring people together, communities together. We've been sitting in stadiums for a long time watching fans of every economic background, race, religion, come to the stadiums to cheer us on. And I think sports in our communities, it brings people together in ways nothing else can. I want everybody to be a collector.' Even describing the vision of the company moments away from the ribbon cutting of CardVault's latest store, this one in East Rutherford, N.J., his words carried a palpable tone of inexplicability as if he were still the 10-year-old boy from San Mateo opening his own card shop. The dream before the NFL dream. 'It's all coming to life, and it's been really fun because your love of sports can be shown in a lot of different ways,' Brady said. 'And through collecting, through following certain players, obviously now with fantasy sports and so forth, there's just so many ways for us to be engaged with our heroes. And I had a lot of them when I was a kid, I collected a lot of them when I was a kid. 'Now I see myself on some of these cards here in the store, and it's still a bit surreal.' Jeter's 'relationship' with sports cards commenced long before his prized New York Yankees rookie cards lived inside wax packs after he graduated high school in 1992. His interest for sports cards and memorabilia followed him from his youth through his Hall of Fame baseball career and became one of his bigger passions at age 50. Advertisement 'I've been a collector for years,' Jeter said. 'A lot of memorabilia. I have a lot of my own memorabilia. I had a lot of my own cards. I don't want to sound self-centered (laughs). A lot of times people send them to you. … I'm a fan of athletes in other sports. Obviously baseball, but also in other sports.' Jeter still remains a heavy presence within Topps baseball products with his autographed cards prominently featured in sets every year. But his deepest dive into the sports card business occurred in 2022 when he helped launch Arena Club, a digital repack (individual cards from the secondary market that have been reinserted into custom packs) retailer, grading service and marketplace platform. 'The baseball card collection has really been sort of an underground industry, I think for a long time,' Jeter said. 'Even throughout my career, you'd see players that had card collections, but they didn't really openly talk about it too much. I do think over the pandemic is when the industry started to sort of shine and now it seems like it's just taken off again.' The reason why Arena Club struck a chord for Jeter stems from a weather event that wiped away his personal collection. Arena Club stores cards on its marketplace in 'a climate controlled, high-security, disaster-proof storage vault' near Portland, Oregon. 'When I was younger, early on in my career, I used to have any baseball cards that I was on or anything that I was collecting, my parents would keep them for me at our house in Michigan,' Jeter said. 'And we had a flood and everything was ruined. These are rookie cards of mine, people that I collected growing up. It was shameful. And when Brian (Lee, co-founder and CEO of Arena Club) was explaining it to me, I was like, 'Wow, this really hits home and makes sense.'' And like Brady, the ability to buy and sell cards as a way of life transports Jeter back to being a kid spending his summers in New Jersey with family, dreaming about being Dave Winfield, one of his personal favorite players to collect. 'I'm not trying to sound silly, but it brings you back to your childhood,' Jeter said. 'I remember collecting cards and you really couldn't care less what cards you got, you were there to chew the gum and sit there and trade the cards with your friends, right? And now this is just basically taking it to another level. It sort of modernized it. And so it makes you feel like a kid. It's the same thing. It's whether you put (cards) in the spokes of your bicycle and ride around. It's an industry I think, regardless of age, you can all relate to it.' Witt never ventures too far away from the sports card hobby. He hunts for cards on eBay. He's open to trading through an Instagram account he set up specifically to show off his collection. He's scoping out card shops whether he's in Kansas City or on an in-season road trip. And his diligence paid off during the offseason. Advertisement The Royals shortstop hunted down his grail card: a 2000 Bowman Chrome Tom Brady rookie card with a gem mint 10 grade from PSA (Professional Sports Authenticator). The card owner wasn't letting Witt, the runner up for the 2024 American League MVP behind Aaron Judge, just walk away with it though. Witt forked over a Luka Dončić autographed one-of-one card, a Josh Allen rookie card numbered to nine and a couple other cards in a trade to acquire the Brady. Could Witt afford to just buy the Brady card in a cash deal? It's likely not too heavy of a lift, given he's playing under an 11-year, $288 million contract with the Royals. Other PSA 10 graded Brady rookie cards have recently sold between $7,500 and $10,000, according to Card Ladder. But for Witt, working a trade is a part of the simple reason he's so involved in the hobby: 'It's just fun!' A post shared by @ 'It's crazy just from the fact that you have your card collectors that have been there from the beginning and that are older now,' Witt said. 'Then you have the kids now and they collect with their parents and so just for the hobby, that's how it grows. Then you've got professional athletes that collect. You see guys in the clubhouse opening packs. You see guys doing breaks with guys so there's just so many different ways to kind of get involved in the hobby. It's just really cool how much it's growing. 'I don't see it ever really stopped growing just because of how in-tune guys are in cards and just the different variations of what a card could come in, whatever type it is. It's just cool to see it's not just one kind of genre of people that are collecting cards. There's just so many.' Witt is so into sports cards that he even had custom, PSA-graded Topps cards made for each of his groomsmen at his wedding last year. Coincidently, Brady and Jeter are Witt's all-time favorite athletes. Witt jumped at the chance to discuss collecting sports cards, as well as diving into the business aspect of the industry just like his childhood idols. In February, he became an investor in CollX, a digital card price guide and marketplace. He doesn't anticipate this being his last business venture in the card industry, either. Advertisement 'I just keep seeing it grow and that's what brought me into the investing side,' Witt said. 'The sky is the limit for it, and it just kind of keeps growing and growing. You get endorsement deals, this and that, but it's just something that whenever you're able to do things that you really enjoy, it just makes it a lot more fun and a lot easier and stress-free going through it all.' The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission. (Top photos of Brady, Jeter, and Witt:for Fanatics;for Art Miami + CONTEXT; PSA)
New York Times
17-03-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The best Michael Jordan cards to collect: His unusual rookie card situation and more
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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 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. Advertisement 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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