Michael Jordan rookie card sends value of 1986 Fleer Basketball set soaring
With a #1/1 Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant Logoman card setting the all-time sports card record, Jordan and his coveted rookie card are making headlines again and still attracting bid dollars on the card market.
Even the complete set of the 1986-87 Fleer set that contains the Jordan rookie is commanding big attention.
Most sports collectors know Fleer’s 132-card 1986-87 basketball issue as the home of Jordan’s mainstream rookie card. As such, it’s a frequent target for set collectors. And in one six-week period between June and August 2025, two separate bidders acquired complete sets in one fell swoop.
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• In June, a full set of 1986-87 Fleer hoop cards sold for $26,301 on 39 bids. This one was fully PSA 9-graded. It didn’t include the stickers, but it was fully graded—all cards were slabbed as PSA 9. The seller had it packaged in a fireproof case and noted that he “spent 10 years putting it together.”
• Six weeks later, in August, another Fleer set got listed. This one was comprised almost entirely of ungraded cards—with one exception: Jordan’s rookie. The seller included a PSA 9 specimen of that classic—a smart move, considering how much of the set’s value is wrapped in the Jordan entry. The listing brought in $25,000 on three bids.
As regular readers know, eBay bidders pay between $20,000 and $30,000 for single 9-grade Jordan Fleer rookie. To get the entire set for roughly the same price is a steal. After all, more than two dozen Hall of Famers sit on the checklist.
Here’s a sampling of prices paid recently on eBay for HOFer cards graded 9:
• $960 on 38 bids: Charles Barkley
• $738 on 33 bids: Dominique Wilkins
• $560 on 24 bids: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
• $530 on 22 bids: James Worthy
• $510 on 17 bids: Magic Johnson
• $504 on 27 bids: Larry Bird
• $456 on 18 bids: Chris Mullin
• $444 on 15 bids: Isaiah Thomas
• $412 on 22 bids: Akeem Olajuwon
• $398 on 11 bids: Patrick Ewing
• $320 on 15 bids: Karl Malone
For under $300, you can snag a Julius Erving or Clyde Drexler. For under $200, pick up a Bernard King, Joe Dumars or Robert Parrish. And for under $100, we’ve seen PSA 9 cards of Adrian Dantley, Dennis Johnson, Moses Malone, Kevin McHale, Sidney Moncrief and Ralph Sampson. There are even HOFers whose 1986-87 Fleer cards can sell in 9 condition for less than $50: Maurice Cheeks, George Gervin, Artis Gilmore and Jack Sikma.
As usual, Jordan's rookie and other Jordan cards make an appearance in our regular Top 10 chart and in our “The Next 10.” Kobe Bryant, who appears with Jordan on the new all-time record-setter, also makes multiple appearances on our two charts.
TOP 10 CHART
1. $53,301 on 62 bids: 2018 Bowman Chrome Shohei Ohtani Blue Refractor, #112/150, auto (PSA 10)
2. $52,600 on 91 bids: 2007 Upper Deck SP Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant Sign of the Times Triple Autographs, #1/10, autos (ungraded; PSA/DNA authenticated)
3. $49,100 on 104 bids: 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan (BGS 8.5)
4. $45,650 on 74 bids: 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (PSA 2)
5. $35,891 on 91 bids: 2014-15 Panini Prizm Kobe Bryant Gold Prizm, #8/10 (PSA 8)
6. $35,100 on 77 bids: 2017 Panini Prizm Patrick Mahomes II Camo Prizm, #23/25, auto (BGS 9.5, auto 10)
7. $29,528 on 45 bids: 2023-24 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Connor McDavid Autographed Jumbo Shield, #1/1, auto (ungraded)
8. $28,382 on 62 bids: 2012-13 Panini Prizm Tim Duncan Prizms Gold, #10/10 (BGS 9.5)
9. $27,500 on 27 bids: 2001-02 Upper Deck Legendary Jerseys Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, #5/10, autos/patches (PGS 9)
10. $27,500 on 1 bid: 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan (BGS 9.5)
THE NEXT 10
• $26,400 on 1 bid: 1958 Alifabolaget Pele (PSA 4)
• $26,201 on 43 bids: 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. with secondary-market autograph (PSA 10, auto 10)
• $26,100 on 45 bids: 2007-08 Upper Deck Chronology Kobe Bryant Timeless Memories, #72/99, auto (PSA 10)
• $25,750 on 22 bids: 2024 Panini Optic Caleb Williams Downtown Gold, from an edition of 10; number not available (PSA 10)
• $25,000 on 3 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Basketball complete set with stickers (ungraded except for a PSA 9 Michael Jordan base card)
• $22,900 on 38 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan (PSA 9)
• $20,950 on 81 bids: 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan (PSA 9)
• $20,655 on 2 bids: 1996-97 SkyBox E-X2000 Kobe Bryant Rookie Credentials, #110/499 (BGS 9)
• $19,811 on 32 bids: 2023 Panini Prizm Victor Wembanyama King Snake
(PSA 10)
• $19,100 on 48 bids: 2014 Bowman Chrome Mookie Betts Gold Refractor, #4/50, auto (BGS 10, auto 10)