1998 Fleer Classic '61 Michael Jordan /61 #142 BGS 9 MINT

Michael Jordan appears twice in the 1998 Fleer Tradition Classic ’61 set, as Fleer replicated the 132 base cards and the 15 “Plus Factor” subset cards on the parallel designed in the style of the company’s first basketball set from 1961. This example features the image from Jordan’s “Plus Factor” card and is captioned as “The Perfect 10” in honor of his NBA record 10 scoring titles. Numbered /61, this parallel to the once-per-pack Vintage ’61 parallel delights collectors with a holofoil finish and a level of scarcity that elevates it above other Jordans of the era. The concept first appeared as the 1998 Fleer Tradition Vintage ’63 parallel in baseball, which celebrated the 35th anniversary of Fleer’s first baseball card set that featured current players. But two years before that, the company had produced an iconic basketball set, so while digging through the vault for the baseball issue, Fleer also decided to bring the retro concept to basketball. Dubbed Vintage ’61, the 147-card parallel utilizes the same images as the 1998 Fleer base cards but crops them to fit into the design of 1961 Fleer cards. Many cards in the Vintage ’61 set are styled after the “In Action” subset at the end of the 1961 checklist. Those cards include a short description of the photo on the card instead of a player’s position (e.g., Wilt Chamberlain’s 1961 Fleer “In Action” card depicts him dunking the ball and a short caption below his name explains, “Dunks A 2 Pointer,” while his traditional rookie card lists him as “Center”). While Jordan’s 10 scoring titles combine with his six championships and five MVP trophies to help define his legacy, they meant little to Jordan in the moment. “Sure, I know what it takes to win one. I can average 32 points a game and know I’ll win,” Jordan once said. “Eight points a quarter. Three baskets, two free throws. It’s as easy as that. I’m down four (points), I can get 12 the next quarter. But I don’t let anything like that take away from what the team is trying to do.” He averaged 28.7 points per game throughout the 1997-98 season to become the oldest scoring champion in NBA history (35 years old). That effort earned him a spot in Fleer’s “Plus Factor” subset, which featured the top three finishers in per-game scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks from the 1997-98 campaign and led to beloved parallels like this Classic ’61. Only one BGS-assessed example of this card has earned a higher grade than this 9. The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 04/07/2025.