One of the most popular inserts in 1996-97 Topps Series 2 Basketball was shrouded in mystery. It wasn't a case of unannouced surprises. All was by design.
Mystery Finest cards came with a black film on the front. Unlike the previous year, this wasn't to hide the player. They were shown on the back. The mystery came in as to whether it was a Bordered or rarer Borderless version. Both had Refractor versions as well, although backs gave a spoiler with a notation under the card number. To know exactly what version a card was, collectors had to peel the film off the front—and risk potentially damaging the corners, surface or edges in the process.
That meant each of the set's 22 Mystery Finest cards had four versions. Borderless Refractors like this Michael Jordan were the rarest of them all, landing 1:216 packs. Taking the set size into account, that would mean 1:4,752 odds of pulling any individual player.
Graded a Gem Mint 10, this card is a pop 9 in the PSA registry.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 03/26/2026.
