5 Affordable Michael Jordan Cards you need in your collection
In this story:
With the hobby in the midst of a bull market, and Michael Jordan prices in particular soaring to new heights each day. Here are five affordable and underrated Jordan cards that are attainable for any collector. From overprinted 'junk wax' to under the radar unlicensed cards, you can still collect beautiful cards of the greatest who ever played on a budget.
RELATED: This Michael Jordan Dunk Card is Going Nuts in The Hobby
5. MJ - Breakfast of Champions
Jordan grinning in a White Sox cap, with the classic Wheaties box and 'breakfast of champions' slogan in the background, this card also has a facsimile autograph. It captures 'I want to be like Mike' during his first retirement, in the midst of baseball career. This card's red background and overall simplicity helps make it pop. Unlicensed, this card will only set you back around $5 and is a must for any Jordan collector.
4. Class of 1984
The only post-playing days card to make the list, this 2007-08 Fleer Hot Prospects Class of 1984 card is both affordable and a hobby coveted numbered card. With a numbered print run of 1984, this card features three hall of famers from that heralded class. Hakeem went number 1st overall, Jordan went third, and Stockton was drafted 16th, the only guy missing is Barkley who went 5th that year. For under $20, collectors can obtain a numbered, licensed, young looking Jordan retro rookie card.
3. Michael Jordan Zupermen
The inaugural year of the briefly popular Z-Force brand 1996-97, this card captures MJ in action with his tongue out, a pose Jordan fans and haters know all too well. This was part of Z-Force's "Zupermen" subset, and its beautiful design helped usher in a new wave of innovation in the mid-late 90s. For around $10, collectors can scoop this one up; not all base cards are created equal.
2.
In 1991, Nike released this promo card featuring MJ in his signature Jordan brand pose. Reminiscent of the Nike promo rookie card from 1985, this card is standard sized unlike its more expensive older brother, and has the "Air Jordan" moniker complementing the basketball hoop in the top corners. Jordan in mid-flight skying over the city for around $30 still feels like a deal, even after the card has doubled in value in recent years.
1. Michael Jordan Upper Deck Skylights
Before there were 'downtowns,' there was the "Skylights" subset released by Upper Deck in 1993-94. This card is absolutely stunning and features MJ soaring over the Chicago skyline. Ball in hand featuring the Air Jordan 8's, this card is snapshot back to a time when Jordan was changing the world of basketball forever. Jordan was in the midst of leading the Bulls to their first three-peat, and he was truly larger than life. Released in the height of the junk wax era, collectors can acquire this card for only a few bucks. It might just be the best few dollars an MJ collector could ever spend a card.
Growing up in 1990s New York City as a devoted Knicks fan, Sam discovered his passion for sports cards in grade school, when he'd visit local street dealers hunting for packs of Finest and Metal. After attending college in St. Louis, Sam spent time in Thailand and Mali working in international aid before the pull of the hobby brought him back. In 2020, he returned to collecting and launched his own card consignment business, reconnecting with the passion that defined his childhood.