1994 Finest w/ Coating Michael Jordan JERSEY 23 ERROR #331 SGC AUTH

At first glance, this 1994-95 Topps Finest Michael Jordan seems perfectly normal. There's nothing out of the ordinary about the design or MJ, sporting his iconic red Bulls jersey with 23 on the front, getting ready to shoot. Yet, this is a rare and mysterious variation of Jordan's regular '94-95 Finest card. The giveaway is the jersey. When Jordan came out of retirement in March, 1995, it meant that all card manufacturers could make basketball cards of the legend once again. Topps rushed to make a card for Finest Series 2, an odd-numbered bookend at #331. This variation has Jordan wearing a 23 jersey. However, the much more common final version of the card has His Airness sporting the number 45, what he wore for a short time upon his return. While the exact origins of this card are not known, it appears to be a production sample. Besides the jersey, the diagonal on the front coating are not typical for regular cards. On the back, the variation is missing ""Skin Protector Pat. Pending"" under the copyright info. It's on the regular version of the card. Based on sheets that have surfaced for 1994-95 Finest, Jordan was printed separately from the other Series 2 cards, likely because production was so far along when he made his return. The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 01/07/2026.