Michael Jordan Tegatas Available for $5,000

Upper Deck Authenticated (UDA) has released a never-before-seen Japanese Tegata inked handprint of longtime company spokesmen Michael Jordan.

A traditional form of Japanese memorabilia that is reserved for only the most supreme athletes, Jordan is the first of UDA’s exclusive athletes to have a Tegata piece produced of him. The extremely rare keepsake is limited to just 23 pieces, which corresponds to Jordan’s primary uniform number from his playing days with the Chicago Bulls.

“This is another first for Upper Deck Authenticated, and it is only fitting that we would christen this unique process with our longest-tenured exclusive athlete, Michael Jordan,” said Steve Sloan, director of Upper Deck Authenticated. “Tegata is a highly respected form of recognition for Japan’s best sumo wrestlers, and so we’ve decided to create a variation of this coveted show of admiration for one of our best-selling athletes of all time.”

Jordan is the first stateside player ever to be honored with a unique Tegata memorabilia piece from UDA. Utilizing handmade Japanese Fuji paper, Jordan has inked his left hand in black and included an authentic Inkan stamp.

The overall keepsake, which measure 30 inches wide by 40 inches high, includes a 12-by-12-inch inset center upon which Jordan’s hand is inked and is surrounded by a double-matted mosaic background of on-court, action images of Jordan throughout his 13-year tenure with the Bulls.

Jordan has signed his name in silver across each handprint.

“It’s an honor to be the first Upper Deck Authenticated spokesmen to be selected to go through this process,” Jordan said.

The Jordan Tegata carries a suggested retail price of $5,000, and is now available at Upper Deck’s online store,
www.upperdeckstore.com.