Michael Jordan rookie card goes for record price at auction

A Michael Jordan rookie card from 1986 has set a new record at auction, becoming the most expensive ‘aftermarket’ card of all time.

The 1986 MJ rookie card was sold in a private sale via Goldin Auctions for $2.7 million. That sale broke the record for a collectible card featuring an ‘aftermarket’ autograph, one that was signed outside of the chain of card production.

Jordan has a long-time deal with card manufacturer Upper Deck which has made signed Jordan rookie cards exceptionally rare. He did take part in a limited signing run of the 20th anniversary buyback Upper Deck promotion in 2006, with 23 copies of the 1986 rookie card receiving the MJ autograph.

ESPN reports that Jordan has now began doing more private signings, which includes the recently-sold Fleer rookie card. One card from that batch was sold on Joopiter for $2.5 million in late June. The founder of Goldin Auctions, Ken Goldin, confirmed that the card was one of nine signed by Jordan “in private with a witnesses” at a signing in 2024.

“Signed rookie cards of greatest-of-all-time athletes, like Michael Jordan, represent the pinnacle of sports collectibles,” Goldin said in a statement. “This record-breaking sale is a testament not only to Jordan’s enduring legacy but also to the recognition of aftermarket-signed cards."

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