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Happy birthday Michael Jordan – A look at MJ's greatest cards

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For most, Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time when it comes to game of basketball.
He was both an electric player who could make your jaw drop to ground in any given game, and relentless, ruthless winner. When he was in his prime you did not dare bet against the Bulls winning the championship. It is tough to think of a player who instilled as much fear as Jordan, and yet played the game in such a captivating way.
We celebrate Michael Jordan’s birthday by taking a look at some of the must have cards worth adding to your collection.
1986-1987 Fleer Michael Jordan RC #571987
This is one of the most coveted cards not just among basketball collectors, but in the entire hobby industry. It is his only rookie card that is licensed by the NBA, but watch out for re-prints and counterfeits. It will cost you a lot to get this card (a PSA 10 card will sell just under 20K), but it is a worthy centerpiece in any collection.
 
1986-1987 Fleer Stickers Michael Jordan #81988
This card is an insert, which is why it is not as valued as his base rookie above. However, because many of the stickers were cut poorly it meant that good conditions stickers are hard to find. A PSA 9 will sell for $800.
 
 
1997-1998 Upper Deck Michael Jordan All-Star Jersey Auto #/231997
Here we have the first Jordan memorabilia card ever. The size of the patch is nice, and the card is also autographed, which is a plus. Only 23 of these cards were ever made so you can imagine that the going price is pretty high. Well, just a couple days ago an ungraded card was sold for 60K!
 
 
1998-1998 Upper Deck Michael Jordan All-Star Jersey Auto #/231998
Jordan’s first memorabilia/auto card was such a hit that Upper Deck decided to do it again. The design is improved, showing a better layout compared to the previous year’s card. The selling price is also a little more affordable, with a BGS 9 card selling recently for about 11K.
 
 
1999 Upper Deck Employee Game Jersey Michael Jordan #/2751999
This maybe one of the coolest Jordan cards out there, despite that it does not have an auto, nor is it a rookie card. What the card has going for it is (1) it pictures Jordan’s last shot ever with Bulls, the iconic championship winning jumper over Byron Russel, and (2) the card was not sold in packs, but distributed to Upper Deck employees.
 
These are just five of the cards we really like, but of course there are plenty of great MJ cards that won’t cost you too much to acquire.
DK

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