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1986 Fleer Basketball Complete Set with Original Receipt Purchased

Michael Jordan Rookie Card Has Original Receipt From Rochester, NY. Purchase in 1987!

March 28, 2025

A complete 1986-87 Fleer basketball set including the Michael Jordan rookie card with the ORIGINAL RECEIPT from the purchase back in 1986 has been discovered by Just Collect. We proudly purchased the original collection during our recent buying trip in Rochester, NY.

In the mid to late 80’s, basketball was (and still is) all the rage, especially with up-and-coming stars like Michael Jordan making his league debut. The 1986 Fleer set with stickers is one of the most highly-sought-after sets from that time period. Finding basketball cards from the the 1980's can be fairly common, but finding a complete 1986 Fleer set in good condition does not happen every day! Not only did we find a complete set with sharp corners and nice eye appeal, we found a set from the original owner who KEPT THE RECEIPT!

THE COLLECTION

As a child, Chris was interested in Basketball cards, trading, buying and collecting came with the territory. Little did Chris know, a purchase his mom made would be one of his greatest treasures.

On September 11th, 1987, Chris' mom walked into a Paper Express / Sports and Sorts with a cool $20 in-hand. For a measly $19.20, she purchased a complete set of 1986-87 Fleer basketball cards and tucked the receipt away with the set. Nearly 40 years sago, the price for all 132 cards and each of the 11 stickers being under twenty dollars was a standard price. The cost of a wax pack was about 35 cents which came with 12 cards, 1 sticker, and a stick of gum (remember when packs of cards came with gum?). The value of a complete set is much more than $19.20 today! The Michael Jordan rookie card alone is valued at several thousand dollars even in poor condition. Looking at the set not only will you find Michael Jordan, other NBA legends jump off the page - rookie cards of Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Isiah Thomas to name a few. Other icons of the game have cards in the set including Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Flash forward four decades and Chris still has the entire set AND the receipt!

Photos of the set and the original receipt are below. The story is so unbelievable, we had to share a picture of the receipt. When you look at the first photo, you can see the date and price of $17.95 plus tax! Next is the Michael Jordan rookie card on the left and the rookie sticker on the right. Kudos to Chris for not peeling that sticker and putting into a sticker book or Trapper Keeper like we did. The next picture is the full set in nine-pocket pages; this is one way we recommend to safely store your sets. The last photo is of the Jordan rookie card being taken out of the screwdown Chris used. As you just read in our tips for safely storing your cards, using a screwdown is NOT recommended. While using this type of holder in the 1980's and 1990's was common, we learned that over time, the cards were compressed inside of these holders, flattening cards out! Using the proper holder helps protect your cards, preventing issues that would lower the grade of your card and in turn decrease the value substantially.

Photos of the 1986-87 Fleer basketball set with original receipt:

Do you have 1986-87 Fleer basketball or Michael Jordan cards you'd like to sell and you'd like a free appraisal? Just click HERE:

Have these same cards? Click here to sell!

APPRAISAL AND PURCHASE

This complete 1986 Fleer Set took Leighton up to Rochester, NY to meet with Chris on a Saturday afternoon. Meeting at the local Panera Bread, Leighton spent two hours going through each and every card in the set before making him an offer. As he did so, Chris filled Leighton in on how he acquired the set and he was floored! The provenance reminds of us the time a father and son stored their Michael Jordan rookie card in TUPPERWARE back in the 1980's!

Just Collect has purchased many complete sets of 1986-87 Fleer basketball sets and Michael Jordan rookie cards. Retail stores are focused on selling modern products and simply don't have the time or the knowledge to carefully evaluate vintage collections like Chris' Fleer set. This is where we are happy to help you! We have purchased thousands upon thousands of collections and bought and sold over 50 MILLION dollars in cards. Recently, we purchased a collection of FIVE Michael Jordan rookie cards that all belonged to the same collector.

Leighton made a fair offer to Chris after reviewing the set. We're proud to tell you that both came to an agreement on the price and Leighton purchased this collection on the spot! We then paid Chris how he wanted to be paid. When you choose to sell your collection to Just Collect, we can pay you in cash, company check, or wire transfer. If you have a Michael Jordan rookie card with an original receipt, we'd be happy to meet you anywhere for lunch and pickup the tab!

If you have a card or collection you'd like to sell, we offer many ways to evaluate your collection. We often attend shows such as The Philly Show and the National Sports Collectors Convention. You're always welcome to bring your collection to the Just Collect office in New Jersey. Shipping your collection with your two-day, fully-insured FedEx account is an easy and secure option for an evaluation. Perhaps your collection is huge - we do travel for large collections much as we did for The Nebraska Collection. Don't hesitate to reach out to us any time; we'd be happy to speak with you! Our wonderful receptionist and shipping manager, Kristen, is awaiting your call. Kristen also helped write this blog for you! Here are the types of cards we purchase as well as how to contact Just Collect:

WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING

Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879 to 1979 as well as select modern cards. If you have a collection that you are considering selling, contact us today to discuss or get our industry-leading purchase offer. If you have a collection that you want appraised, please contact us and we would be happy to discuss your collection and help you understand the real cash value of your collection in the current marketplace. Check out the Just Collect Buy List.

We always offer a FREE APPRAISAL for your collection here at the Just Collect site. Just click here:

We offer may ways to evaluate your cards other than or using our website, too.

Travel to Us

If you can make the trip here like the son from my hometown did for this collection- we can make a deal at the office. We once met a father-son duo that drove eight hours from Virginia to meet us to sell a Michael Jordan rookie card stored in Tupperware since 1986 - great read here.

Come to convention

We keep a LIST of card shows we'll be attending. Come stop by the Just Collect table and chat.

Meet in-person

If you have a valuable collection and want us to come to you, we'll hop on the next plane out.

Meet in New York City

If you're near New York City and would like to meet in a public place, our owner, Leighton, would be happy to meet you; read all the information here.

SHIP your collection

If you choose to mail your cards for an appraisal, we will evaluate your cards for FREE still. If you choose not to sell the cards, we'll ship them back shipping fees paid by us! We can offer our FedEx account with 2-day shipping, fully insured, all covered by us. Simply contact the office to set up this option.

OUR BUYING PHILOSOPHY

We've run into a wide range of people and collections over the last 25 years. Although Just Collect is known for buying vintage sports cards and especially vintage baseball cards, we are also extremely interested in buying non-sports cards, too!

Every collection and every collector is different and we treat EVERY collection with the respect and attention that we show for our own collections. We understand that many have put their heart and souls into building their collections. So when you're ready to sell, we understand the feelings that you're going through and will work with you to help you reach a decision that is a WIN/WIN, because if you're not happy, we're not happy.