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dan hazdaki
multiple authors
An on-card autographed 1997-98 Upper Deck Game Jersey Michael Jordan card, along with a sample jersey from the 1992 NBA All-Star Game, has been sold privately through Goldin Auctions for $4.25 million. This is the highest payment ever made for a single Michael Jordan card.
The card received a grade of 6 from card grader Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA), with the autograph grade being 9.
“Beyond our success in setting auction records, we are dedicated to facilitating transactions between private buyers and sellers to enhance the world’s most prestigious collections and portfolios,” Ken Goldin, founder and CEO of Goldin Auctions, told ESPN.
The previous record paid for a single Jordan was a numbered 1-of-1, on-card signed Jordan Logoman from the 2003-04 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection, which sold for $2.928 million in mid-2024. Another signed 1997–98 Upper Deck game jersey Jordan card sold privately, through Goldin Auctions, in late 2021 for $2.7 million.
The 1997–98 Series 1 of Upper Deck Basketball included a 22-card game jersey insert set, including Jordan, with a 1:2,500 chance of drawing one in the pack. These were the first game-worn NBA jersey cards to hit the market. Series 2 consisted of on-card signed, hand-numbered, game-worn Jordan jersey cards, which included not only the game-worn jersey patch, but samples cut from his 1992 NBA All-Star Game (which doubled as a fan-voted farewell to starter Magic Johnson after he retired in November 1991).
“This card represents a perfect storm of rarity and player importance,” Goldin said. “It was produced during Jordan’s second championship three-peat – the era that cemented his global legacy – and combines three premium elements into a single piece: a game-used jersey patch, an on-card autograph, and an extremely rare serial number limited to just 23 copies to match his uniform number.”
Game-worn Jordan patches and signatures have appeared on two of the three most expensive sports cards ever sold: the on-card autographed, 1-of-1 numbered 2007-08 Upper Deck Exclusive Collection dual logoman autograph card featuring Jordan and Kobe Bryant ($12.932 million) and the on-card autographed, 1-of-1 numbered 2006-07 Upper Deck Exclusive Collection Dual Logoman Autograph Card with Jordan and LeBron James ($10 million).
It was the most expensive basketball card ever sold publicly or privately by Goldin Auctions.
