1986 Fleer Basketball Complete Set w/ Michael Jordan ROOKIE #57, All PSA 10 GEM

The 1986-87 Fleer Basketball set ranks among the most iconic sports card releases. However, in 1986, it hardly moved the needle. Baseball cards defined the ‘80s, and with a new wave of competitors stepping up to challenge Topps for the cardboard throne, the company bowed out of the basketball market following its 1981-82 release to focus on its more established moneymaker. Though Star attempted to fill the vacuum left by Topps, the NBA did not regain mainstream footing in the card world until Fleer entered the market in 1986. Despite stars such as Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and a young Michael Jordan drawing more attention to the league, fans showed more interest in watching basketball than collecting it, leaving boxes of 1986-87 Fleer to collect dust on hobby shop shelves. At release, Fleer distributed hobby boxes to shops at only $9 each, or 25 cents a pack. Fleer even offered full refunds for unsold cases, indicating the company’s low confidence in the product. This low popularity led Fleer to halve the print run of its 1987-88 release, and for years, collectors could buy boxes of ‘86 basketball at card shows at rock-bottom prices. Until, that is, Michael Jordan transformed basketball into a cultural phenomenon and caused the popularity of NBA cards to surge. With its impressive checklist and wide availability, 1986 Fleer instantly went from ignored to iconic. The biggest draw of this product remains its abundance of rookies, as the set accounts for the five draft classes between 1981 and 1985 that did not have mainstream first-year cards. These classes contained many Hall of Famers, with legends such as Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Clyde Drexler, Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and Patrick Ewing all having rookie cards in the set. Yet the crown jewel of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball remains the #57 Michael Jordan rookie, a card so iconic that even non-collectors can identify it by sight. This offering includes all 132 base cards in Gem Mint PSA 10 grade. Simply put, this is one of the best possible sets of one of the most popular releases ever made.