Signed 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card with aftermarket autograph fetches record $2.7 million
Slug: michael-jordan-signed-1986-fleer-rookie-record-sale
A privately sold 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card, hand-signed after leaving the factory, has been purchased for $2.7 million, Goldin Auctions confirmed on Tuesday. The figure sets a new high for any trading card featuring an “aftermarket” autograph, according to the auction house.
The card, graded PSA Mint 9 with a perfect 10 autograph grade, is one of nine Jordan signed “in private with witnesses” during a 2024 session, Goldin Auctions founder and CEO Ken Goldin said through a representative.
“Signed rookie cards of greatest-of-all-time athletes, like Michael Jordan, represent the pinnacle of sports collectibles,” Goldin noted in a statement. “This record-breaking sale is a testament not only to Jordan’s enduring legacy but also to the recognition of aftermarket-signed cards.”
Aftermarket signatures are added outside the card manufacturing process, unlike pack-inserted autographs that are printed, stickered or embedded at the factory. Jordan’s longtime exclusive deal with Upper Deck meant authenticated signed rookie cards were scarce for decades, aside from 23 cards he autographed for a 2006 Upper Deck buyback promotion. Only recently has the six-time NBA champion begun approving limited private signings, keeping supply extremely tight.
The new $2.7 million record surpasses the $2.5 million paid in late June for another Jordan rookie from the same 2024 signing, sold through Joopiter, Pharrell Williams’ auction house. Goldin’s representatives confirmed the latest transaction involves a different card; the Joopiter example was one of three PSA 9s from the group, while the remaining six cards—graded PSA 10—have not appeared publicly as of June.
Source: ESPN
