An autographed 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card sold for $2.5 million, plus a 25% buyer’s premium. The sale took place at Joopiter, the auction house owned by 13-time Grammy-winning performer and producer Pharrell Williams.
According to ESPN, this was the first sports card Joopiter has ever put up for sale since opening in 2022.
“We are excited to debut in the world of sports collectibles, largely in response to enthusiasm from our global community of collectors,” Caitlin Donovan, global head of sales at Joopiter, told ESPN. “With a focus on rare and iconic sports memorabilia, infused with the rich history that make these pieces truly special, we look forward to bringing this community unique and significant pieces of sports history.”
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Aside from its historical significance for the company, the card is the most expensive Jordan rookie card ever sold. The highest amount ever paid for an autographed Jordan rookie card was $205,000 last March, while the highest amount ever paid for a Fleer Jordan rookie that wasn’t signed was $840,000 in 2021.
The $2.5 million Jordan rookie card is the third-most expensive public sale of any Michael Jordan card. The highest price ever paid was $2.928 million for a 1-of-1 2003-04 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection autographed Michael Jordan Logoman card last June.
A private collector had the card autographed in secret last year. Although Jordan hasn’t signed many cards outside of his long-term agreement with Upper Deck, he did sign nine 1986–87 Fleer Jordan rookie cards in blue Sharpie in 2024, six of which have received perfect 10 grades from card grader PSA. (Those PSA 10s have not come up for public sale yet.)
The term “Rookie cards” describes a player’s first cards after making their Major League debut. According to Ripped, most rookie cards are stamped with some sort of designation (e.g. “RC”) on the front or back, and that designation will appear on the card the same year as the debut or, in certain circumstances, the following year.
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Players may have dozens of rookie cards, especially if they are a very popular prospect that manufacturers wish to include in their products. In general, rookie cards are far more valuable than cards made later in a player’s career and are widely sought after by collectors. Collectors will generally agree on which rookie card is the most significant and, hence, the most valuable if a player has multiple different rookie cards.
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