Michael Jordan PMG Surpassed $1 Million on Alt Auctions
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A rare Michael Jordan up for auction on Alt finished at more than $1 million. Jordan's 1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems (PMG) red, numbered 52 out of 100 and graded a BGS Near-mint 8, was already at $962,502 after 19 bids and two days remaining on the auction.
The final sales amount, including buyer's premium, came to a grand total of $1,473,989.
This card has the great quality of being a color match to the Bulls' team colors. The card features a sprawled-out Jordan, reaching the ball for what one can assume is a dunk at the hoop. It also features Jordan in his white uniform and was released in the middle of the team's second run at a three-peat championship.
The back has the serial number stamped below Jordan's 1996-97 and career statistics, and a bust shot of Jordan in his road red Bulls uniform.
Auction Already Passes Previous BGS 8 Sale
This card has sold for more than three times the last sale of the same card in the same grade. According to Card Ladder, the last time this card was sold in a BGS 8 was more than two years ago, on June 1, 2024. That sale, which was via auction on Goldin, sold for $298,900. The auction garnered 20 bids.
Interestingly enough, while both cards have the same grade, the one sold in 2024 has better subgrades, except for the surface.
The PMG Market Has Exploded
Not only has the current card at Alt passed the last BGS 8 version, but it has also passed the last sale of the same card in a BGS 8.5. According to Card Ladder, a BGS 8.5 sold for $651,333.60 on December 6, 2025. Goldin carried the auction and garnered 46 bids.
The Precious Metal Gem market has grown exponentially over the last few years. And this Jordan that just wrapped up at Alt is a great example of that. By blowing the previous sale out of the water while still having more than two days left in the auction and then finishing above the last sale of a higher-graded version.
Another great example of market growth is a player like Nomar Garciaparra. A good player, sure. A great player? Maybe, but not a Hall of Famer (mostly due to injury, to his credit).
But a PSA 6 copy of his 1998 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems, numbered to 50, sold for over $5,000, according to Card Ladder. The sale occurred this month, on August 6th and went for a total of $5,600 via auction on eBay.
How High Does The Jordan Go?
Given the relative strength of the Jordan market in general and the PMG market, some of the rarer versions or higher-graded version, could see some sales that would have been considered outrageous just a few months ago. However, as we see all the time, records were meant to be broken.
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After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz