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Despite all the hype about the 1986 Fleer card, THIS is Michael Jordan’s true rookie card.
From 1983-1986, Star was the only company that held a license agreement with the NBA after which time the license was handed over to Fleer. Being the bigger name in sports card manufacturing, Fleer draws more attention in the current market than Star, which pre-dates Fleer’s production tenure with basketball cards. Given that 1986 was when Fleer issued its inaugural basketball set, players depicted in the 1986 set often come with rookie card status but only by technicality, that being it’s the first time players are depicted on licensed cardboard issued by a reputable company. Michael Jordan actually began his professional career with the Chicago Bulls in 1984, which makes the 1986 Fleer card a third-year card.
In 1984-85, Star issued Chicago Bulls team sets in sealed plastic bags and made them available through hobby dealers and direct mail order. Former grading company, GAI, was known to grade these sealed team sets. PSA used to grade Star cards but stopped when someone found the original printing plates and begun re-printing them. During which time BGS was the only company qualified to grade Star cards. In 2022, PSA decided to start grading these cards again but BGS examples provide credible confirmations of authenticity.
There’s a drastic difference in grading populations and print runs between the Star and Fleer cards. Here’s the breakdown at the time of this writing:
| Card | BGS Pop | PSA Pop | Print Run |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-85 Star #101 | 1,144 | – | 5,000 |
| 1986-87 Fleer #57 | 13,364 | 22,588 | 250,000 |
The Star card is significantly shorter printed than the ever popular Fleer card and while the latter tends to sell better due to overall set popularity, the numbers don’t lie; the Star card is the much rarer specimen. The quantitative disparity can be chalked up to 1986 Fleer being a nationwide mainstream release. However, the subtle release format of the Star card should pique anyone’s interest.
Offered here is a supremely choice BGS 8.5 example of Michael Jordan’s 1984-85 Star #101, which stands as his first official appearance on licensed cardboard from any company and hails as his true rookie card. While more attention might be paid to the 1986 Fleer card, the 1984 Star card is slowly growing in value and in time has potential to greatly outperform its 1986 Fleer opponent.
Calling attention from serious collectors, this 1984-85 Star Michael Jordan is one of the most paramount investment choices any deep pocket holder could make. Just 13 years ago, this card in this grade could be had for less than $2k. Now look at it!
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