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Just Collect Presents The Set of the Week - 1984 Star Basketball

Learn More About Sports Cards Sets Each Week!

February 19, 2026

The TRUE Michael Jordan rookie card isn't the 1986 Fleer card you believe it is; MJ's rookie card came a few years prior in the 1984 Star Co. set. One of these cards recently sold for ONE MILLION DOLLARS! Today, we'll teach you about the set rising in popularity in our new series: The Set of the Week.

1984 STAR BASKETBALL

Did you know Michael Jordan's rookie card isn't from the 1986 Fleer basketball card set? You're probably very familiar with the Fleer Jordan card; it's one we love to buy frequently! One of our favorite stories about the Fleer rookie is the Tupperware Collection we purchased - yes, a Michael Jordan Fleer rookie was stored in Tupperware. However, two years before Fleer, Star Co. basketball included his Airness in their set. What sets the Star Co set out among all other sets is HOW the cards were released; you couldn't find these cards in wax packs.

Star Co. began producing basketball cards in the 1983-84 NBA season, but the 1984-85 season release is the set that has been garnering well-deserved attention in the hobby. In the 1984 season, Topps didn't release a basketball card set; their last release was 1981-82. Fleer didn't arrive in our lives until the 1986-87 NBA season. During this span, the only company to produce licensed NBA cards was Star. In the 1984-85 NBA season, Michael Jordan introduced himself to the world. The would-be GOAT has ONE licensed NBA card from his rookie season, this Star Co. card numbered 101.

The front of each card is a color match to the team colors. The Bulls cards have a red border, the Lakers have a yellow border, the Celtics, green, etc. The top right of each corner has "Star '85" printed. Above is a graded example of the Michael Jordan #101 card; notice how the border color matches the Bulls jersey colors?

NOT IN WAX PACKS

A total of 288 cards were created for the 1984-85 release. Rather than distributing cards in wax packs, adding that wonderful stick of gum, and placing on store shelves like Kay-Bee toys, Stewart's gas stations, or Woolworth's, Star Co. issued cards in plastic polybags as team sets. Each bag had 10 to 14 cards featuring players from the same team. Example: Chicago Bulls team bag has cards 101 - 112 and includes teammates Michael Jordan, Dave Corzine, Wes Matthews, and Orlando Woolridge. The Los Angeles Lakers team bag has cards 172-184 and includes Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy.

BAG BREAKDOWN BY TEAM

Boston Celtics cards 1-12
Los Angeles Clippers 13-24
New York Knicks 25-37
Phoenix Suns 38-51
Indiana Pacers 52-63
San Antonio Spurs 64-75
Atlanta Hawks 76-87
New Jersey Nets 88-100
Chicago Bulls 101-112
Seattle SuperSonics 113-124
Milwaukee Bucks 125-136
Denver Nuggets 137-148
Golden State Warriors 149-160
Portland Trail Blazers 161-171
Los Angeles Lakers 172-184
Washington Bullets 185-194
Philadelphia 76ers 201-212
Cleveland Cavaliers 213-224
Utah Jazz 225-236
Houston Rockets 237-249
Dallas Mavericks 250-260
Detroit Pistons 261-269
Sacramento Kings 270-280

Star Co. included inserts/subset bags in the release, too. The Olympic Team has cards 195-200, and Awards, Records, and Leaders are cards 281-288.

As you guessed, finding a Chicago Bulls team bag in New York probably wasn't happening in 1984. Distribution was limited and many regions were not included. Production numbers were never made public, but estimates put the total number of each team set between 3,000 and 8,000 sets.

MICHAEL JORAN CARDS

#101 – True rookie card
#194 – Olympic card
#288 – Rookie of the Year

The five-time NBA MVP, six-time champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist, Defensive Player of the Year, and Slam Dunk Contest champion has THREE cards in the 1984–85 set. Card 101 is considered the rookie and is the most valuable.

OTHER KEY CARDS

Larry Bird #1
Charles Barkley rookie card #202
John Stockton rookie card #235
Akeem Olajuwon rookie card #237
Magic Johnson #272

PSA NOW GRADING STAR CO. CARDS

PSA, one of the top card grading companies, refrained from grading Star Co. basketball cards for many years. In 2022, the company began grading the set and the population currently sits at 10,893. Of all of those graded cards, only 15 have been graded PSA 10! On a scale from 1 to 10, 10 is gem mint, perfect. A change in just a single grade can alter the value of a card by hundreds if not thousands of dollars. Condition is very important in determining the value of your cards; even the slightest imperfection can prevent a card from receiving a grade of 10.

VALUE AND SCARCITY = HIGH DEMAND

Prices for the 1984 Star Co. cards have surged dramatically in just a few years, especially the Michael Jordan #101 card. Only 562 Jordan #101 cards have graded examples by PSA. Of those 562, there are ZERO PSA 10. The most recent sale price for one of the 3 cards graded PSA 9 is ONE MILLION DOLLARS. The value of a Jordan card on the low end of the grading scale is averaging $8,000!

Going back to November 2022, a Jordan #101 graded PSA 7 (138 graded without qualifiers on the population report) was sold for $15,600. In 2024, sales reached $51,800. Here in 2026, a sale was made for $101,000.

Factors causing the high demand for the set:

Scarcity
Short-Printed Jordan
True Rookie

You just read that only 562 Jordan #101 cards have been graded by PSA. The 1986-87 Fleer Michael Jordan card has been graded by PSA 29,963 times for a difference of + 29,401 more than the Star Co.

The Jordan #101 card was on the top left of an uncut sheet before Star. Co. cut the cards and placed into team bags; this positioning created fewer Jordan cards than other stars in the set.

The TRUE rookie gives allure to the card; the Star Co. card was released during Jordan's actual rookie season while Fleer's release came two years afterwards.

SPOTTING FAKE JORDAN CARDS

Malicious people have tried to create counterfeit Michael Jordan Star Co. cards. Starbasketballcards.com has a great article that can help you identify a fake Jordan HERE.

The best way to spot a fake Jordan is to contact us here at Just Collect! The retail stores are focused on selling modern products and simply don't have the time or the knowledge to carefully evaluate vintage collections. 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.

WE ARE BUYING STAR CO. CARDS!

If you have Star Co. basketball cards and are interested in selling, we are buying! Vintage Basketball and Michael Jordan rookie cards are always on our buy list. At Just Collect, we offer a . Read below to see how you can contact us any time today!

We hope you loved learning more about Star Co. basketball cards! Check back next week for our next Set of the Week.

Check out blogs featuring incredible collections Just Collect proudly purchased such as:

The Oregon Farm Collection with a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle discovered in an old barn!
Two 1979 O-Pee-Chee Wayne Gretzky rookie cards - a pair of rookies from the Great One!
1990's Precious Metal Gem basketball cards include some of the rarest, most sought-after cards in modern history.
The Aaron Judge Collection with high-end one of one cards and multiple rookie autos.
Topps Venezuela Collection including a scarce Willie Mays card.

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WE ARE ALWAYS BUYING

Just Collect is always buying vintage sports and non-sports cards from 1879 to 2009 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 many 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 a 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.