9 Michael Jordan rookie cards worth $1,000,000 each are missing and could be in unaware hands

The value of Michael Jordan’s rookie card is still unchallenged in the NBA. There are 23 rookie cards of the Chicago Bulls legend in existence today and each one of them is worth approximately $1,000,000. However, the location of only 14 of these cards are known to the world.

Award-winning journalist Pablo Torre spoke to Bradley Campbell on his podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out” about the missing Michael Jordan rookie cards. According to Campbell, not all of the 23 signed Jordan rookie cards were sent to the Upper Deck, a company known for producing cards.

“All those redemption cards, those golden tickets, not all of them were sent in the upper deck. Not all of the signed 23 Jordan cards were immediately sent out to people who found them in packs,” Campbell said.

He later added that these cards were sent out to kids who wrote letters to participate in contests.

“The company policy stated that all prizes had to be distributed, they couldn’t be collected or kept by Upper Deck employees…The promotion was all for kids. They decided to award these cards to kids who did things that kids today no longer do; Write letters. So after this hunt for 23 ended, Chris [McGill] simply called and then sent these fans any autographed leftover rookie card,” Campbell said.

McGill said that he would often see the flood of letters coming in to participate in games just for cards and stamps. So he decided to send these cards to those kids.

According to Bradley Campbell, these 9 Michael Jordan rookie cards are still there out in the world and they have not been spotted because people who received them want to remain anonymous.

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Michael Jordan’s Star rookie sold for $925,000

Michael Jordan’s rookie card is easily the most marketable rookie card in the NBA. It hasn’t just been his rookie card that has dominated auctions. From his iconic shoes to his Bulls jerseys, some have been sold for well over a million dollars. Now, his rookie card has neared the million-dollar mark.

Darren Rovell of Cllct.com reported in May this year that Michael Jordan’s 1984-85 Jordan Star #101 rookie card has been sold for $925,000, the highest amount any of MJ’s rookie cards have ever drawn.

According to Rovell, before the Star #101 rookie card, Jordan’s 1986 Fleer rookie card (from 2021) held the top position. The Fleer rookie card held the previous record for the highest Jordan rookie card ever sold. It was sold for $840,000 at PWCC in July 2021.

The uniqueness of the card lies in the fact that most of Jordan's rookie cards have him dunking the ball. However, the Star #101 rookie card has him rebounding the ball away. The buyer has asked to keep his identity anonymous.

Michael Jordan’s popularity as arguably the greatest player in basketball still remains intact. It would not be surprising if someday the Star card’s record will be broken by another rookie card.