This Fleer throwback concept first appeared as the company's 1998 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 uses the same images as the 1998-99 Fleer base cards but crops them to fit into the design of 1961-62 Fleer Basketball release. Numbered /61, this is an incredibly scarce insert from early in Kobe Bryant's career. That in itself is enough to power this card's prestige. There's also the nostalgic connection to the original and much beloved 1961-62 release.
But something in the background should also be a consideration. Clearly a Kobe card, it also features a prominent cameo from Michael Jordan who appears to be—unsuccessfully—stopping the young Lakers star from taking it to the hoop.
No copy of this card ranks higher in the BGS registry than this Mint 9.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 04/23/2026.
