Michael Jordan cards are the most-graded of all-time! Currently, a total of 2.5 MILLION Jordan cards have been graded by collectors in the hobby. Who else is on the list? Let's take a look at the names including the reigning baseball MVP, Shohei Ohtani.
You're probably familiar with card grading now. The top grading companies include PSA, SGC, and BGS. There are smaller companies which grade cards including TAG, CGC, and Arena Club. While each company keeps a population report of which cards they have graded, our friends at Sports Collectors Daily pointed us to Gem Rate - where they tally up all graded cads!
It's no surprise that the top player on the all-time graded cards list is Michael Jordan. The six-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls won five MVP awards, two Olympic gold medals, a Defensive Player of the Year, and won a National Championship in college at North Carolina. Jordan is global! Even if you've never owned a basketball card, you probably either personally own, or know someone who does own, Jordan sneakers from Nike. Just how many cards of Jordan have been graded? According to the stats: 2.53 MILLION.
Next on the list is Shohei Ohtani. The two-way star now has FOUR MVP awards, two World Series Championships, and sets what feels like new MLB records every time he plays. A total of 1.13 million Ohtani cards have been graded. Pretty impressive given Ohtani didn't make his MLB debut until March 29th, 2018 - 15 years after Jordan's final game on April 16th, 2003.
Rounding out the top five are:
3. Ken Griffey Jr = 1.12 million
4. LeBron James = 1.05 million
5. Kobe Bryant = 979,000
We don't see a vintage player until Mickey Mantle lands at 7, appropriate since he wore #7!, at 645,000 cards.
To see the full breakdown with Sports Collectors Daily, click HERE. Our longtime friend, Rich Mueller, lists out the Top 50 graded athletes. If you'd like to get into all the data including the exact cards and grading company, you can use the Gem Rate site. As sports cards nerds, we love it!
The biggest surprise on the list Lionel Messi. Soccer is global and vastly populate, but Messi only has 212,000 graded cards and sits last on the Top 50. We're also a little shocked that Bo Jackson came in at 35 with 312,000 graded cards. Bo played both football and basketball, so he has twice as many cards as other players in his era. Bo brings up plenty of nostalgia for those of us in our 40's - that's probably why Ken Griffey Jr is number three on the list!
Do any players on the top 50 surprise you? Let us know right here on the blog or send a message any time on our socials, all of which are posted below.
Just Collect is always buying! If you have graded cards like the Michael Jordan rookies above, Ken Griffey Jr, Mickey Mantle, and others you're interested in selling, we would love to hear from you! You can reach out for a
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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.
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We offer may ways to evaluate your cards other than or using our website, too.
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.
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If you have a valuable collection and want us to come to you, we'll hop on the next plane out.
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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.
Whether you have vintage cards or modern wax you want to sell, you can reach out to us any time!