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Some collectors coming back to the hobby might remember the release of Michael Jordan baseball cards.
Yes that’s correct. Arguably the greatest player to have played basketball has several baseball cards. In 1993, Michael Jordan had just led the Chicago Bulls to their third consecutive NBA championship.
While he had already won numerous awards as a basketball player, Jordan had always dreamed of playing professional baseball. So later in 1993, Jordan made the surprising decision to retire from basketball in order to pursue a career in baseball.
He signed a minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox and was assigned to the team’s Class AA affiliate, the Birmingham Barons. The rest is history with Jordan’s brief stint in baseball ending quickly (and then his return to basketball being much more successful).
But during his baseball career, there were some Michael Jordan baseball cards that became popular for collectors. Some still hold value in a PSA 10 grade while others are more valuable for nostalgic reasons.
So a popular question is: How much is a Michael Jordan baseball card worth exactly?
Here are some of the cards currently available on eBay.
1991 Upper Deck #SP1 Michael Jordan baseball cards
This might be the most recognizable Michael Jordan baseball card which was issued three years before his actual rookie season.
That’s because the photo was taken during batting practice at a charity game where he wore the White Sox uniform.
2. 1994 Upper Deck #19 Michael Jordan baseball cards
Here’s the Michael Jordan rookie card as a baseball player issued by Upper Deck in his actual rookie year.
These cards are tough to gem so the ones that do get a PSA 10 usually go for several hundreds of dollars. There’s a more rare parallel version too (the Electric Diamond) in addition to the more common base card.
3. 1994 Upper Deck SP Holoview FX
A pretty cool insert set that has a nice hologram of Jordan in the card.
There is a rare parallel too (ie. red die-cut) in addition to the blue base card.
MORE INFO ABOUT JORDAN’S BASEBALL CAREER: As previously mentioned, Michael Jordan’s transition to baseball wasn’t an easy one.
He ended up hitting just .202 in 127 games and struck out 114 times. He also struggled defensively, making 11 errors in the outfield.
But for hobbyists, we can thank Jordan’s baseball career for producing some unique and collectible items, including baseball cards both in a Chicago White Sox uniform and in his Birmingham Barons uniform – both highly sought after by collectors.
While his baseball career was short-lived, he returned to basketball, leading the Chicago Bulls to three more NBA championships and cementing his legacy as one of the greatest basketball players of all time.
If you’re looking for some his most valuable graded basketball cards, check out our post here. Or maybe you prefer his Precious Metal Gems, which you can see here. Or perhaps you like to stay with something more familiar and go after the top Michael Jordan rookie cards.
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