OT: Michael Jordan Rookie Card
 

Realize the documentary sent his cards flying, but it seems every time I look at an auction there's a tsunami of Jordan rookie cards. Can't even imagine how many are on eBay. How much longer can this last before it plateaus? I will be seeing that card in my sleep before long at this rate.

It is bordering on nuts. There's > 14,000 graded 7 or higher in the PSA population report alone. It is by no stretch of the imagination, a rare card. But MJ transcends the hobby, basketball cards are blowing up, and "The Last Dance" created a perfect storm. I'm not sure demand is going to do anything but continue to increase.

And there are also cards like the Star #101 card which came out a whole year earlier than the '86 Fleer as well, which seem like they're just starting to get some attention that's well overdue!

(I hate the photo on the 1985 Merchante, but hey, it's a 1985 Jordan!)

It also seems like every major auction has at least 1 unopened box. That's 4 more Jordans in each. Definitely not a rare card. I am a bit surprised by how little publicity the recently auctioned unopened case got given it sold for around $1.8 million. I do think in the US we generally underappreciated the international appeal of basketball items at times.

Current appeal of basketball cards and collectibles is mindblowing. Stuff like a 2020 Ja Morant patch card are selling for over $70,000. Forget about Zion. A used tissue he dropped on the floor is probably selling for 5K.

If you want crazy prices, look at the 2003 Topps Chrome LeBron James PSA 10 with a population of 2000. It is a 15000-16000.00 card. At least the Jordan PSA 10 population is only about 300.

Yeah the Jordan itself isn't rare, but finding a good centered, non-chipping card that will grade a 9 or a 10 is tough to find.
Im happy with my psa 5. not going anywhere :) That sealed case was amazing, I am surprised it did not get more publicity.

I believe purist would argue the amount of "non-chipping" on 9s or 10s really doent translate into a card being rare. After goldin has 30, yes THIRTY jordan 86 fleer jordans in their last auction, I'm quite curious who is buying and who is selling. Oh and who will be holding that bag. There are worse cards to hold onto, but the "global demand" is hogwash. If anything, once the gub'ment cheese runs out, hopefully the card is worth more, and paypal credit bill can be paid interest free.

Great point. the card itself is not rare, perhaps condition rarity is more like it, if that's something someone goes for. personally im cool with any grade in that and most cards if I want one, I just want a copy.

Agree! I came to Basketball late, but it's been a really nice complement to my vintage baseball interests. I've loved it.
And while the '86 Fleer MJ is the common currency of Jordan "rookies", I've found it way more enjoyable to collect his Star Card issues. I like my '86 Fleer Jordan, but I *love* the Star issues...
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Was just perusing EBAY for Jordan rookies and there are a ton of them! Other cards that have caught fire last year or 2...goudey ruths...green cobbies...have virtually dried up from ebay...there are hardly any. I realize they are much scarcer than jordan rookies...BUT...I just don't see how these prices for this card(mainly the fleer) can remain so high?

The same way that the price of the 1952 Topps Mantle stays so high, demand.

Gimme a Texas Tommy over a Michael Jordan any day.

I got lucky.....
 

Still in awe that a walk in seller a couple years ago at Rich Altman's show in Mass sold me this for under 2k! :eek: Better than gold! :)

Peace, Mike

In our upcoming October auction we have a Fleer RC in 9 and a wide selection of the star cards including the 1984 #101 in 8 and 1985 #117 in 9.5 along with a ton of other amazing Basketball including sets from 1974 - 1987

These cards are getting renewed interest. I picked up all 3 for under $100 in 1998 and had them graded before Beckett was grading them.

Here's my rookie Jordan. Pretty happy to have it. From what I've read this was his very first card. Plus it looks better and is cheaper than his later Fleer cards.

This is one of the Giant sized cards for those who cant tell. I have a BVG 7 myself. Sweet card, maybe his best looking.

I really like the star cards. Mine is below. The slam dunk pose is excellent. Nice cards everyone!

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Most people consider the regular sized card #101 from '84 star as the rookie, but a cool card. We DON'T have any of the oversized cards.

LeBron is one win away from another championship, and this one will be on his third different team. The Lakers are so good they nearly swept every team they faced this year. Now, LeBron is thirty-five, but he is still playing like a twenty-five year old. How many more championships will he win? Two? Three? When he walks away from this game, he is going to have broken every record in the book, and yes, he will dethrone Jordan. Jordan is obviously feeling threatened by him, and that's why he released "The Last Dance." But there is only so much an old man can do.

By the way, nice Jordans. :cool:

I've got 4 LeBron PSA 10 rookies in the auction, it's all good :)

“Obviously feeling threatened” Hahaha

Thanks for the laugh

Wilt Chamberlain holds 72 NBA records, most of any player. How many of Wilt's records is LeBron going to break? LeBron does hold the record for most consecutive 10 point games, Wilt holds the record for most consecutive 20 point games, 30 point games, 40 point games and 50 point games. Which is more impressive?

The Jordan and Lebron rivalry seems unique in a way. Ruth was Ruth and nobody ever really challenged him. Even if you consider Mays or Aaron or Bonds, he never lived to see any of them play. But Jordan and Lebron are so close in timeline that it's weird to have two "greatest players ever" who overlap the way they do.

I have Wilt ahead of both of them, but it's a tight race.

Jordan's rookie year
 

Hard to imagine but the 1986 Fleer basketball sat on the shelves not selling. I can confirm this because while getting gas at a convenience store I noticed a open box of basketball cards on the shelf, I did ask the price, $12.50 the clerk relied if you want the whole box--I left the box, not being interested in basketball cards.

The local candy distributor ended picking up most of the unsold boxes. The company manager even offered boxes to the employees at $6.00 box before being returned to Fleer for credit. One driver I know did buy one box and later offered it to me for $200.00--A high price at the time, I passed!

He told me later the company ended up returning three sealed cases back to Fleer.!!

In the 1970's I had a opportunity to buy a extra large special store display of the Old lady in the Shoe mechanical bank for $1250.00 from a little shop in Indiana--oh well! (years later sold in the $500,000 range)

People will go nuts over them, for sure. :)

Wilt played against mice. Today, nearly everyone in the NBA is 6′10″.

I have no doubt Jordan cards are a solid investment. He's basically the Babe Ruth of the modern hoops game There are just those people who transcend the sport.

Funny that LeBron has done so much charitable stuff out of the sport, while Jordan is basically known off the court for little more than his insane gambling. And Jordan never was a great with the press or one of those great with a quip guys. Yet his mystique is enormous. I guess in large part due to that show. Larry Bird seems to be pretty much the same kind of guy and he doesn't seem to be anywhere near the same collectable realm as Jordan.

The Last Dance only just came out. I think you'd have to go back 40 years to find someone who hasn't heard of Michael Jordan. He has so many things in his favor other athletes didn't (like Wilt). Nike is one of the most visible brands in the world and Gatorade isn't far behind. Jordan made both those companies what they are because of who he is. Larry Bird didn't get that kind of exposure.

Bird was too busy tarring his own driveway to do commercials.

No one - no one - has been an elite player for more seasons than LeBron has been. Outside of his rookie year - when he was great but not quite elite - he's been elite his entire career. 16 straight years of elite basketball. No one else can match it. Not Kobe. Not Wilt. Not Magic. No one.

No doubt. Larry was in Blue Chips though and I like that movie more than Space Jam.

The one person who gets overlooked - Oscar Robertson.

There is also one record that none of the superstars can or ever will break. The record holder is a hall of famer, but got in mainly due to his service to the league - Tom 'Satch' Sanders. He won an NBA Championship his first six years in the league. He also won 8 in his first nine seasons. No one has come close. One of the closest is John Havlicek who won his first four and 6 of his first seven seasons.

I’m glad I came across this post because I have been saying just this for the past 6 months. Every article that I read that says 86 fleer basketball was a limited run is all relative. It’s relative to the fact that baseball cards were being turned out millions and millions a year so even though it was a limited run, there are tons of Fleer Jordans in the market.

I am just bummed that I was not able to purchase the Lew Alcindor and Bob Cousy rookies that I have been looking for since the end of last year. Those two cards skyrocketed after the last dance came out.

Michael Jordan's legacy, to folks that have disposable income, has nothing to do with The Last Dance. His legacy was cemented long ago. That show served as an introduction to a younger generation who never saw him play.

As far as Lebron vs Michael, they both get a spot in my all-time starting lineup. The difference is that Lebron carries his teammates on his broad shoulders while Michael demanded excellence of his teammates, both leading to championships.

It would be interesting to see Lebron play against the Knicks and Pistons of Jordan's era. Could he endure the beating that Michael took? Or would he stand there palms-up looking for a foul call on every play?

Kareem
 

I don't know about that. Kareem was a finals MVP in 1985 at the age of 37 in a series that featured Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in their primes. If you include college he probably strung together close to 20 elite seasons. Plus, he was a better free throw shooter then LeBron even when he was 40 years old.

But to the original question and statement - the demand for Jordan RC's is currently higher then the supply :). Jordan is collected world wide and as long as that is the case - the demand will always be there.

Kareem
 

I don't know about that. Kareem was a finals MVP in 1985 at the age of 37 in a series that featured Larry Bird and Magic Johnson in their primes. If you include college he probably strung together close to 20 elite seasons. Plus, he was a better free throw shooter then LeBron even when he was 40 years old.

But to the original question and statement - the demand for Jordan RC's is currently higher then the supply :). Jordan is collected world wide and as long as that is the case - the demand will always be there.

I've seen LeBron get assaulted many times, especially when he gets under that basket. But there is only so much you can do to a guy who is 6'9 250-plus pounds. He's a machine.

And yes, I find his whining VERY annoying. Every time he doesn't make a basket, he starts crying! But that's pretty irrelevant to me when it comes to judging him as a player.

By the way, I'm sorry to the OP for turning this thread into a Jordan vs. LeBron debate. I just wouldn't put too much money into Jordan cards now because of what LeBron keeps doing night after night, and year after year. This man is going to change a lot of things!