The Just Collect Blog

FIVE Michael Jordan 1986 Fleer Rookie Cards Purchased by Just Collect

Written by Monte Jennings | Oct 4, 2024 7:46:47 PM

FIVE graded rookie cards of the GOAT, Michael Jordan have been proudly purchased by Just Collect. These five 1986-87 Fleer rookie cards all came from the same owner. Watch us unbox these iconic rookies live from the Just Collect store.

One of the most iconic cards in our hobby is the 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie card. Jordan has defined multiple generations on and off the court. A six-time NBA champion, a five-time MVP, a National Champion, a two-time Olympic Gold medalist, Jordan is arguably the greatest player in the history of basketball. Off the court, kids today still buy Jordan shoes by Nike despite probably not being old enough to have seen Michael Jordan ever play in a basketball game. We are always interested in buying Michael Jordan rookie cards at Just Collect, so when we received an inquiry about purchasing FIVE Jordan rookie cards, we jumped at the opportunity!

A collector named Katie contacted us through our  page on our website. Katie owned not one, but FIVE Michael Jordan rookie cards. MJ's rookie can be found in the 1986-87 Fleer set. When this set was released, basketball wasn't as popular as it was today. In fact, playoff games in 1986 were still on tape delay! Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets was played on May 18th at 9:30 PM. The game was not aired until 11:30 PM. Imagine a playoff game in today's world not being shown LIVE! With social media at the tips of our fingers, sometimes we see the results of a play on our phones the moment it happens in real-time.

1986-87 Fleer cards weren't valuable when they were released. Unlike modern basketball cards today that can set you back hundreds of dollars with some cards commanding six figures, you could buy an entire box of 1986-87 Fleer for just $10 back then. Each box came with 36 packs and each pack had 12 cards plus a sticker. Some packs of basketball cards today have four cards, no sticker, and sadly, no stick of gum. You could pick up a pack of Fleer basketball cards for a whopping 40 cents. With only 132 cards in the entire set, one box would yield around three Jordan rookie cards and no problems when building a complete set. Every collector in the 1980's were more focused on Topps baseball cards. Not Katie, though!

Here is a video of us unboxing the FIVE Michael Jordan rookie cards Katie was interested in selling:

 

A few more modern cards of a modern basketball legend, LeBron James, were in Katie's collection, too. Recently, LeBron James has moved into first place as the NBA's all-time leading scorer. Owning four NBA championships, four MVP awards, and Olympic Gold medals, LeBron James rookie cards are examples of modern cards we love to purchase at Just Collect.

Here is a closeup of the Michael Jordan rookie cards:

Each card has been professionally graded. The grades range from 4.5 to 7. Condition is VERY important when determining the value of your cards. Using a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being gem mint, the difference in just a single grade could be thousands of dollars in value! For example, a Jordan rookie graded 7 is worth around $5,000 while a card graded 6 is worth about $4,000.

After we gave Katie our free appraisal and made her a fair offer, she accepted and chose to sell ALL of her Michael Jordan rookie cards to us here at Just Collect. We then paid Katie via company check. When you choose to sell your collection to Just Collect, we pay you how you want to be paid - cash, check, or wire transfer! 

One of our favorite collections that we have been able to purchase at Just Collect is the Tupperware Collection. A father and son purchased packs of 1986-87 Fleer when the packs came out and stored the cards inside of Tupperware containers! The cards sat in the containers for years until the family decided to sell the collection. Inside of the Tupperware were rookie cards of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, and Hall of Famers such as Chris Mullin and James Worthy. You can read about the Tupperware collection HERE. The father and son chose to drive to our store here in Summit, NJ. Katie opted to SHIP her collection with our two-day, fully insured FedEx account. If you're interested in selling your collection, we offer many ways to evaluate and purchase your cards. Reach out any time for a free appraisal - our all of our information is below! 

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.

CONTACT US ANY TIME

Whether you have vintage cards or modern wax you want to sell, you can reach out to us any time!