Recently Sold Price: $21453
Many collectors are aware that Precious Metal Gems were available as foil base parallels in 97-98 Metal Universe Basketball. It is also known that only 100 total copies exist per player. What you may not know is how the first ten cards were Green and the final 90 are Red.
Given their rarity and age, the red parallels for Michael Jordan dont surface often and the green parallel is rarely seen.
Design Of The Sticker
A cartoon figure that somewhat resembles Michael Jordan is the dominating aspect of the sticker. If it werent for the well placed number 23 on his jersey it would be difficult to distinguish that this is a drawing of Michael Jordan. Reflective diamond shapes cover the sticker and really adds to the overall appeal.
Recently Sold Price: $21500
1996-1997 E-X2000 is a good-looking card. Some call it a game-changer because the general design was innovative and unique. The card shows off a beautiful blue sky background with clouds. The gold foil outline plays wonderfully against the white backdrop.
It is important to note that the cards are susceptible to wear due to the innovative design, and many have not held up well over timea PSA 9 example sold at auction in September of 2020 for $21,500.
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Recently Sold Price: $51660
The Essential Credentials parallels alone make 1997 Skybox E-X2001 Basketball one of the top products of the 1990s but the set also contains one of the most valuable inserts of the period.
Jambalaya inserts are a die-cut set that celebrates the top dunkers in the league with a playful take on the name of a Cajun dish. At 1:720 packs, or roughly one in thirty boxes, these cards are incredibly tough to pull. Looking at the population reports will summarize just how rare the Jordan Jambalaya inserts really are.
Psa 8 Recently Sold Price: $48600
A highly unique yet valuable Michael Jordan collectible is actually a sticker. They were originally distributed from sports card machines that you would put a quarter in and a couple cards would pop out of the slot.
Due to the process, many of them were scratched. Also, since they were stickers, most were peeled off and put on binders, school lockers and other meaningless objects. Not many survived, and there werent many to begin with.
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Upper Deck #183 Grant Hill Mj Draft Analysis
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35
Card numbers #181 through #198 in the set comprised a subset that was a little more interesting than others of the era.
He may have been retired from the NBA at the time, but that didn’t mean Michael Jordan couldn’t give his opinion on several of the 1994 NBA Draft Picks.
The “Michael Jordan Draft Analysis” subset included eighteen recently drafted players around whom Michael Jordan would give his opinion on three areas: strengths, team outlook and draft review.
Jordan’s opinion on Grant Hill was very positive, as he pointed out his incredible athletic gifts, leadership and explosiveness.
Jordan saw in Hill a player around whom the Detroit Pistons could build a solid team for a bright future.
In hindsight, Jordan pointed out Detroit’s history of player injuries somewhat ominously.
Upper Deck #359 Michael Jordan Then And Now
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $150
After spending the previous season pursuing a career in Major League Baseball, Michael Jordan returned to the Bulls near the end of the 1994-1995 season.
He declared his return to basketball with a simple but memorable phrase: “I’m back.”
Despite playing in only 17 games during the campaign, the superstar was crucial in getting Chicago back to the postseason, averaging 26.9 points per game, 5.3 assists per game, and 6.9 rebounds per game.
While the scoring was low for Jordan’s standards, scoring over 26 points per contest after missing almost two full seasons was impressive.
Over that 17 game span, Jordan’s standout highlight was a 55 point effort against the New York Knicks, some of his biggest rivals.
During that performance, he once again established his dominance in the NBA.
The Bulls would ultimately end up losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to Shaquille O’Neal and the Orlando Magic.
Even though the Bulls failed to reach the Finals, Jordan was officially back in his element and the rest of the league was put on notice.
Upper Deck couldn’t have anticipated that Jordan would once again lace up his shoes for the Bulls during the 1994-95 NBA season when they released the set.
And so, they created this Michael Jordan “Then and Now” card that depicts the legendary icon during his basketball days on the front while mentioning his efforts to play baseball on the back.
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Add Some Value To Your Collection With A Michael Jordan Upper Deck Card
Upper Deck is a brand of trading cards that is highly recognisable and popular. They now produce cards for Marvel, the NHL and the Overwatch Esports League.
The company started way back in 1988 with a licence to produce Major League Baseball cards. Then, two years later, they also acquired the licence to produce cards for the National Football League, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association. Their first set of NBA cards were released in 1991. Michael Jordan cards were included in this set and the most famous of these is the Magic vs Jordan #34 card.
The company also released hologram cards that featured Michael Jordan as well as David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon.
How many Michael Jordan sets did Upper Deck Release?
Upper Deck released a total of 9 exclusive Michael Jordan sets including:
- MJ Rare Air collection
- Upper Deck Jordan collection
- MJ International stickers
- Upper Deck Michael Jordan/LeBron James bonus pack
- Jordan Legacy collection
Unfortunately, in 2009, the NBA decided to grant an exclusive trading card licence to Panini and Upper Deck stopped producing Michael Jordan trading cards.
Other collectables produced by Upper Deck
Even though Upper Deck no longer produce Michael Jordan trading cards, they do produce other types of collectables featuring one of basketballs most iconic players. In fact, Michael Jordan has been a spokesman for Upper Deck for over 30 years.
Upper Deck #1 Chris Webber
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $50
The first ten cards of the set commemorate the five members of the All-Rookie First Team and the five members of the All-Rookie Second Team from the 1993-94 season.
Card #1 was slotted for the best of them all: Chris Webber.
Coming off of a sensational 1993-94 rookie season that saw him take home the Rookie of the Year honors, Webber entered his sophomore season looking to display further improvement.
And sure enough, Webber increased his overall production in 1994-1995 by averaging 20.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game.
This season was also his first with the Washington Bullets, where he was reunited with his college teammate, Juwan Howard after Golden State traded him for Tom Gugliotta and three first-round draft picks.
Despite Webber’s strong play, the Bullets had a miserable 21-61 record for the year and missed the Playoffs yet again.
Webber appeared in one All-Star Game while with Washington but would later find most of his success with the Sacramento Kings, where he was a four-time All-Star and five-time All-NBA member.
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Recently Sold Price: $102000
Not much can be said about the 2000 Ultimate Collection Signatures other than, wow. This is one of Jordans more elegant autographed cards. The Ultimate Signatures stamp can be found in gold foil above Jordans red hue picture. Furthermore, a gold serial number stamp /25 is found off-set center the photo as well.
A large blue ink signature is strategically placed over a solid white background below Michael Jordans name and photo. To make the card balanced throughout, they finish with the Upper Deck logo, in gold foil, on the bottom.
Recently Sold Price: $46819
Heres a super-retro-style Jordan card for you nostalgia collectors. Michael Jordan is pictured surrounded by an American flag theme with his name, position, and team scrolling vertically up the left-hand side of the card.
Fleer nailed the vintage look but didnt consider the number of stars shown on the left-hand side. I counted twenty-two stars. It would have been a lot cooler if they added just one more for twenty-three.
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Fleer Sticker Michael Jordan #2
Not as expensive as his card from this set, but very pricey nonetheless. If you have a high PSA graded version of this sticker, you can quickly sell it and get yourself a nice down payment on a house with it.
The red, white, and blue star-spangled design make it Independence Day or Flag Day every day. Still, the pandering to patriotism in the background comes with a price.
The lettering is way too tiny and hardly legible. Yes, this is Michael Jordan, so you know who youre looking at without the title card, but this had to have been a massive problem for other players in the set.
Another card, like the Noyz Boyz, in which the title of the card dominates everything else about it.
This is basically what would happen if you took the opening credits/logo for the late 80s/early 90s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and made it into a Michael Jordan card.
In my opinion, its hideous, but I am well aware that many feel the polar opposite in regards to this card.
That said, I do have a lot of respect for anything that truly defies convention, and youll never find another card with a shape as original and unique as this.
The die-cut metal makes it a great card to any purveyor of oddities, and like almost every other card on this list, itll set you back a bit if you want to get your hands on it.
You got to have a lot of cash behind you to be able to collect Jordan in the way you would to invest.
Greatest Michael Jordan Basketball Cards Of All Time
A quick lesson. On 03/03/2019, a PSA 10 Graded 1986 Michael Jordan Fleer Rookie Card sold for $15,995 via eBay Auctions.
Fast forward 11 months to 01/31/2021 when the same grade and card sold for continue reading after Michael Jordan card #10 on this list.
The 1986 Michael Jordan Fleer rookie card made basketball cards a thing, and the valuation of his cards kept growing exponentially because his cards are the most sought-after of any roundball legend.
It comes with the territory when youre the G.O.A.T. , so lets take a look at the best of the best in Michael Jordan basketball cards
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Michael Jordan Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems /50 #1
BUY EBAY NOW
In 1996, 97, 98, cards start getting numbered to 100 or less , said Beckett grading expert Eric Norton.
And thats where your huge value comes in like the Precious Metal Gems, theres only a 100 of those, and you have to know whether the first ten are red or green- that carries a lot of weight.
This issue is pretty remarkable in the way its captured Jordans visage- presumably making one of the game-winning shots in crunch time that his career was synonymous with.
The metallic theme background makes his moment of elevation seem even more majestic just before the release point.
You even have opposing defender Kenyon Martin of the Minnesota Timberwolves attempting, in total futility, to guard Jordan, which adds to the cards glorious effect.
Upper Deck #166 Eddie Jones Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $25
After starring at Temple University, Eddie Jones looked to bring his incredible skills to the NBA when the Los Angeles Lakers drafted him with the tenth pick of the 1994 NBA Draft.
During his rookie season, Jones averaged 14 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals to earn 1994-95 All-Rookie First Team honors and to finish fourth in the NBA Rookie of the Year vote.
Jones developed a reputation as one of the top shooting guards in the league during the fourteen years that he spent playing across five teams, most notably the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat.
He was an avid defender, too, earning All-Defensive Second Team honors for three seasons in a row from 1998-2000.
A three-time NBA All-Star, Jones was one of the top shooting guards of his era, but unfortunately, he never did get to win an NBA title.
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Upper Deck #186 Jason Kidd Mj Draft Analysis
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $35
Jordan could not have given Jason Kidd any higher marks in his draft analysis of the future Hall of Famer than to say that he “could be the next Earvin Johnson.”
Kidd may have fallen short of that incredible comparison, but there’s no question that he was one of the greatest point guards of all time.
Jordan correctly pointed out how gifted a passer Kidd was and much of it had to do with his incredible court vision.
With Kidd, Jamal Mashburn and Jimmy Jackson heading the Mavericks roster, he also mentioned that Dallas was an improved team that would “be back in the Playoffs real soon.”
Unfortunately, that prediction didn’t materialize as Dallas finished with losing records and missed the playoffs in Kidd’s two full seasons with them in 1994-95 and 1995-96.
And during the 1996-97 season, the Mavericks traded Kidd to the Phoenix Suns in a six-player deal that brought Michael Finley and Sam Cassell to Dallas.
Dallas eventually made the playoffs during the 2000-01 season.
Only 23 Copies Of Each Card
Jordan autographed 23 of them through his endorsement contract with Upper Deck and the cards were randomly inserted into packs. This is one of Jordans most sought after cards due to their attractive design, extreme limited quantity and signature with a game used jersey.
Unsigned copies were distributed one per 2,500 packs and generally sell for $2,000-$3,000 when placed on the market.
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Most Valuable 1994 Upper Deck Basketball Cards
More…
With Michael Jordan still in the middle of his first retirement from the NBA, you’ll notice that the 1994 Upper Deck basketball card set doesn’t include seemingly endless amounts of Jordan cards.
But, they still had to include him somehow…
So, you’ll find not only a “Then and Now” card that features Jordan as both a basketball and baseball player, but they also dedicated an 18-card subset to Jordan in which he analyzed various 1994 NBA Draft picks.
Speaking of the 1994 NBA Draft picks, several superstars like Jason Kidd, Grant Hill, Glenn Robinson, and Juwan Howard make their rookie card debuts in this set.
Though this set overall is often overlooked, a solid rookie card class combined with many other cards of NBA superstars of the era offered collectors plenty for collectors to enjoy.
And in this guide, we look at the 15 most valuable.
Let’s get started!
Let’s be clear: most of the cards from this set do not have any value these days.
Like the 1994 Fleer, Hoops, SkyBox and Topps sets, large print runs saturated the market with these cards, driving down their values.
So, for the cards on this list to be worth much, they’ll have to be graded by PSA to be in perfect, gem mint condition.
That means the card needs to be flawless.
Now that we got that out of the way, let’s take a look at the list:
Nba Partners With Upper Deck
The two-year-old company arrived at the summit when it acquired licenses to produce trading cards for all four major American Leagues. With the MLB already in tow, Upper Deck secured rights with the National Hockey League, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association. A year later, they released their first set of NBA cards, aptly called 1991 Upper Deck.
According to Sports Card Pro, included in the pack are lesser-known players like Jack Daley, Ledell Eackles and Winston Garland, to iconic players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan. The most famous card among the lot is the Magic vs. Jordan #34, wherein Johnson is posting up Jordan.
Initial success gave rise to nine-set Upper Deck Award Winner Hologram cards, which include Jordan, David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon, to name a few. Expanding to an international audience, Upper Deck also released select cards in Spanish and Italian.
At that moment, the sky is the limit for Upper Deck. They had a more attractive product than the rest of the market, which generated much interest from sports fans and card collectors alike. With the market in good health, they kept on launching multiple card sets per year. But their partnership with arguably the games most outstanding player made Upper Deck untouchable in their early goings.
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Sp Baseball Holoviews Michael Jordan #16
Upper Deck did quite a few Michael Jordan cards to coincide with his try at baseball. Of all of them, this might be the coolest from a technology standpoint. Similar to the Holojams, its a combination of regular card and hologram. However, this time, the hologram is more like an accent. Its kind of like a futuristic spin on 1983 Topps or 1984 Topps Baseball.
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Upper Deck #160 Jason Kidd Rookie Card
Estimated PSA 10 Value: $75
During his time in college leading the California Golden Bears, Kidd showed incredible basketball smarts and an ability to shoot, pass and rebound from the point guard position.
In the 1994 NBA Draft, Jason Kidd was selected second overall by the Dallas Mavericks, and the team hoped to build a winner around him.
Kidd wasted no time getting into the flow of things in the NBA, as the young guard averaged 11.7 points per game, 7.7 assists per game, 5.4 rebounds per game, and 1.9 steals per game.
He would also lead the league in triple-doubles, making his overall impact felt in all facets of the game and continuing his reputation as a point guard who could do it all.
One memorable performance from his rookie campaign came in a matchup against the Rockets in Houston.
Kidd led Dallas to a victory with an incredible triple-double effort, scoring 38 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Despite the Mavericks finishing under .500 on the season, Kidd would be named co-Rookie of the Year with Grant Hill.
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