Source: BroBible
Summary
A 1985 Star Company “Gatorade Slam Dunk” Michael Jordan card graded PSA 8 sold for $70,725, setting a new record for the card. It was part of Robert Edward Auctions’ September sale, which also saw high prices for other vintage cards. The Gatorade card predates Jordan’s more famous Fleer rookie and is rare due to its fragile green borders. Only two examples have been graded higher by PSA. The sale highlights growing interest in pre-Fleer Jordan cards.
Our Reading
The habit gets a new name.
Collectors are rebranding old cards as rare.
Green borders are now a selling point.
Pre-Fleer Jordan is no longer an appetizer.
Every card is a new milestone.
Author: Evan Null
This Is Not Even The Michael Jordan Card Most People Know
Ask a casual sports-card collector to picture a Jordan card, and there is a very good chance the 1986-87 Fleer rookie immediately comes to mind.
This is not that card.
The Gatorade Slam Dunk issue came from a nine-card Star Company set released in 1985 featuring players associated with the NBA’s dunk contest, including Jordan. It predates his famous Fleer rookie and comes from the strange early portion of Jordan’s card history when Star held the NBA license and produced several issues that have become increasingly important to collectors.
It was seemingly only available at a banquet that was held in Indianapolis during the All-Star Weekend that year, and no one actually knows how many were produced.
The PSA 8 Gatorade card sold for more than three times the $20,910 paid for a PSA 8 Jordan Fleer rookie in the same auction.
REA Basically Spent The Night Rewriting Price Guides
Jordan was hardly the only player setting records.
Sports Collectors Daily reported that a 1956 Topps Mickey Mantle Gray Back graded PSA 8.5 sold for $76,875, beating the previous record for the grade by more than $20,000. A 1962 Topps Willie Mays PSA 8.5 reached $64,575.
Then the grade-specific records kept coming.
A 1920-21 W514 Joe Jackson PSA 2 sold for $23,370, while a 1954 Topps Hank Aaron rookie in PSA 6 brought $20,295. A 1951 Bowman Mantle rookie graded SGC 3 reached $34,440.
Basically, REA held one monthly auction and made several sections of the price guide immediately outdated.
Jordan’s Result Stands Out
Jordan’s result stands out because it came from a card that still lives outside the mainstream conversation surrounding his his collectibles market.
His Fleer rookie is iconic. His game-worn jerseys sell for millions. His sneakers have become their own luxury asset class. Now, an old Star Company card with “Gatorade Slam Dunk” printed across the front is worth more than $70,000.
The post Michael Jordan Card Released As A Slam Dunk Contest Promo Breaks Record By Selling For Over $70K appeared first on BroBible.
