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Last Updated On: December 8th, 2023
For some players, the link between their likeness and a specific sports card brand is so strong that they become almost synonymous. Think Panini Prizm and Luka Doncic, O-Pee-Chee and Wayne Gretzky, or Topps and Mickey Mantle. In the case of His Airness, the brand most closely associated with Michael Jordan has to be Fleer.
While we’ve covered Jordan’s debut Fleer set extensively, this post will highlight 10 of the most valuable — and by extension, popular — Jordan Fleer inserts from the 1990s. We’ll note why some cards are more valuable than others before finishing up with some honorable mentions! We may or may not cheat and include some MJ parallels in our list as well…
Table of Contents
Overview
As a result of his enduring legacy (which was only boosted by the pandemic release of “Last Dance”), top-quality Jordan cards are like gold. Despite the hobby’s slowdown from its early 2020s surge, Jordan’s 1986-87 rookie card is still a high-value collectible.
But that’s not why you’re here. If you’ve come to this post, then you’re looking for something just a bit different – the inserts. Let’s look at some of the most valuable Jordan Fleer inserts from one of basketball’s golden decades.
Most Valuable Michael Jordan Fleer Inserts
While we’ve assembled a pretty excellent listicle below, we also have a handy dandy table for the TL;DR crowd. The following chronicles the most expensive sales of Jordan Fleer inserts from the last year.
| MJ Card and Grade | Highest Recent Sale | Sale Date | Total Pop all Grades (PSA + BGS) |
| 1998 Fleer Tradition Playmakers Theatre #9 /100 (BGS 9.5) | $84,000 | Mar. 2023 | 63 |
| 1998 Fleer Classic ’61 #142C /61 (PSA 8, Jersey #23 Serial) | $38,400 | Feb. 2023 | 31 |
| 1997 Fleer Ultra Stars Gold #1 (BGS 9.5) | $36,000 | Jul. 2023 | 88 |
| 1996 Flair Showcase Legacy Collection Row 0 #23 /150 (BGS 9) | $25,800 | Dec. 2023 | 87 |
| 1997 Fleer Ultra Platinum Medallion #23P /100 (BGS 9) | $22,800 | Nov. 2023 | 58 |
| 1996 Fleer Thrill Seekers #6 (PSA 10) | $20,740 | Oct. 2023 | 253 |
| 1993 Fleer Ultra Scoring Kings #5 (PSA 10) | $14,640 | Oct. 2023 | 3,812 |
| 1997 Fleer Ultra Court Masters #1 (PSA 10) | $14,640 | Oct. 2023 | 257 |
| 1998 Fleer Ultra Platinum Medallion #85 /99 (BGS 9) | $14,300 | Jan. 2023 | 54 |
| 1992 Fleer All-Stars #6 (PSA 10) | $14,230 | Jul. 2023 | 1,531 |
#1) 1998 Fleer Tradition Playmakers Theatre #9 /100
If you checked out the table above, then you already know the most valuable Jordan Fleer insert out there: 1998 Fleer Tradition’s Playmakers Theatre. In total, the 1998 Fleer Traditions set features 150 base cards along with seven insert sets, one of which is the Playmakers Theatre. 10 cards came in a single Fleer Traditions pack.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $84,000 March, 2023 (Grade: BGS 9.5)
Given its relative scarcity at just 100 serially numbered cards, the Playmakers Theatre Jordan Fleer insert is valuable in various qualities. At the top, a PSA 10 is estimated at nearly $165,000, while even a PSA 6 comes in at $42,000.
Pack Odds and Rarity
At 36 packs in a box, assuming 10 boxes in a case, and the pull odds of a single Playmakers Theatre card at 1:10 cases, one would have to open 3,600 packs for just a single Playmakers insert card.
To determine how many packs it would take to find a Jordan Playmakers Theatre card, we have to multiply that figure by another 15 (the number of players featured in the insert set), which brings our magic total to… 54,000 packs to land a single Jordan Playmakers Theatre.
#2) 1998 Fleer Classic ’61 #23C & #142C /61
In 1961, Fleer released an absolutely iconic set of basketball cards which we featured in the Popular Vintage section of our basketball collecting guide. This is because, for starters, the set featured rookies like Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West.
37 years later, the 1998 Fleer Tradition set dropped with inserts inspired by the same design as its ’61 set. The inserts were known as “Vintage ’61” and inserted one per pack.
Keep in mind Michael Jordan had two cards in the insert set:
- Card #23 reads “Backcourt” across the front
- Card #142 reads “The Perfect 10” across the front
Fleer also leveled up by including a super rare parallel to the Vintage inserts known as the “Classic ’61”, numbered to /61 (pictured above, and the focus of this post). The main difference with the Classic versus the Vintage: beautiful holofoil was added.
The Classic ’61 parallels also included a “C” at the end of the card number (Jordan’s cards being #23C & #142C) to designate the Classic ’61 parallel along with the obvious serial number stamp.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $38,400 Feb., 2023 (#142C, Grade: PSA 8, Jersey # 23/61)
Note: Card #23C sold for $21,000 as recent as Oct., 2023 in PSA 9
As recent sales indicate, there is a big discrepancy between the sales price of the PSA 8 card #142C, and #23C in a PSA 9 Mint grade. Generally a Mint 9 outperforms a NM-MT 8 card, but in this case the PSA 8 does better because it was Jordan jersey serial #23 of /61 that sold in February 2023 (and you know how collectors love to pay up for a jersey match serial).
In reality, the cards roughly track to the same valuation. Just keep in mind there are 31 graded copies of card #142C in the wild, and 41 of card #23C across PSA, BGS, and SGC.
With two Jordan Classic ’61 parallels in circulation, the Gem Rate on these cards is still quite low — only three have earned a Gem Mint grade from either PSA or BGS (surprisingly all #142C cards), bringing the total Gem Rate to less than 5% for the two cards combined.
Pack Odds and Rarity
Like the Playmakers Theatre, the Classic ’61 is extraordinarily rare. While no one is quite sure of the pack odds for unearthing one, we’ll take a shot.
The 1998 Fleer Tradition box doesn’t contain any pack odds, merely noting the Classic ’61 series only consists of 61 sequentially numbered sets.
Just as we noted with the Playmakers Theatre card, one source estimates around 150,000 boxes of ’98 Fleer Tradition were produced in total, equating to 5.4 million packs if we assume the original math is correct.
For fun:
With 122 total Jordan Classic ’61s (/61 serial numbering x 2 cards), and 5.4 million packs produced, we’d speculate landing either of the two Classic ’61 Jordan inserts would be 1 in 44,262 packs. This means pulling any specific card from the Classic set would be 1 in 88,525 packs. Wow.
By comparison, one Vintage ’61 card was inserted in every single pack, meaning it would only take around 74 packs to uncover either of the two Vintage ’61 Jordan cards.
#3) 1997 Fleer Ultra Stars Gold #1
One of the flyest Jordan Gold Cards out there is the 1997 Fleer Ultra Stars Gold #1. It is the first Fleer insert in this list that is not serial numbered.
The MJ is part of the 20-card Ultra Stars insert set randomly pulled from 1997 Fleer Ultra Series 1 wax packs. The base insert came in a silver tone, however 10% of the cards were given the Gold distinction (10x rarer, which we’ll get to below).
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $36,000 July, 2023 (Grade: BGS 9.5)
The Ultra Stars Gold Jordan earns the designation of highest selling insert for a non-serial numbered card on this list. At $36,000 in BGS 9.5 Gem Mint grade, it’s a very impressive sale and sits in the top 3. High-grades go for tons of money with only 24 Gem Mint cards awarded between PSA and BGS. Even a PSA 9 Mint did as much as $29,700 in August, 2023.
Pack Odds and Rarity
The Ultra Stars as a whole were inserted at a rate of one in 144 packs as shown on the side of Series 1 Retail wax where pack odds are depicted:
In order to find a single Jordan insert, one would have to open 2,880 packs (20 player cards x 144 packs). But good luck getting a Gold, considering the Gold insert was reserved for just 10% of the entire set. The odds of hitting an Ultra Stars Gold Jordan are 1:28,800 packs.
#4) 1996 Flair Showcase Legacy Collection Row 0 /150 #23
In the Flair Showcase set, only 90 players are represented, with three different “levels” identified by a stadium row. To that end, this set somewhat resembles the Concourse, Premier, and Courtside levels in modern Panini Select packs.
Row 0, represented in the Jordan card here, is the most valuable row, or “level”, with Jordan’s card among the rarest to be found in a pack.
But the card #23 pictured is actually the “Legacy Collection” version, a serial numbered card out of 150. And we know: technically Legacy Collection are parallels, not inserts. But we weren’t going to let a technicality keep these barnburners from making our top 10.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $25,800 December, 2023 (Grade: BGS 9)
A Gem Mint PSA 10 card is estimated to be valued at $56,000, while the equivalent BGS assessment is valued at $39,000. Even PSA 7s are worth over $10,000.
Pack Odds and Rarity
With 90 players, and three “Rows” in the Flair Showcase set, there are a total of 270 different cards. The Legacy Collection parallel is said to be 1 in every 30 packs, meaning one would have to open 8,100 packs to land the Row 0 Jordan Legacy Collection parallel.
#5) 1997 Fleer Ultra Platinum Medallion #23P /100
In 1997, the Ultra Stars Gold insert wasn’t the only hit that would come from Fleer. What’s the only thing cooler than Gold? Platinum.
Fleer Ultra’s ’97 Series 2 release would follow-up Series 1 admirably with Platinum Medallion parallels — exclusive to Hobby wax — featuring Michael Jordan at #23P.
Different from the unnumbered 1996 Platinum Medallions, in ’97 each card in the 271-card set was numbered to 100, with the last five sets numbered 96/100 to 100/100 made available via redemption for a complete set!
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $22,800 November, 2023 (Grade: BGS 9)
The Jordan Platinum Medallion has sold publicly roughly once a month, with 12 sales recorded in the last year since November, 2022. The steady pace of sales gives us a good idea of its value at any point in time.
The most recent BGS 9 Mint sale noted above almost topped $23,000, while a PSA 9 Mint equivalent outsold it for $32,600 in September, 2023. A BGS 9.5 Gem Mint went for $44,400 in March, for comparison.
Pack Odds and Rarity
Much like the Classic ’61, it’s difficult to determine just how long the odds are of finding a Platinum Medallion Jordan in a pack. The original packaging does not provide odds.
For what it’s worth, the prior year’s Jordan Platinum Medallion pack odds sit at 1:27,000 (one in 180 packs of Series 1 where Jordan could be pulled x 150 cards in the set). Let’s compare graded population data from the four major grading companies for MJ Platinum Medallion cards for additional context. This is how they stack up:
- 1996 Platinum Medallion MJ #P16: 134 graded copies
- 1997 Platinum Medallion MJ #23P /100: 58 graded copies
- 1998 Platinum Medallion MJ #85P /99: 54 graded copies (more on this later!)
The 1996 Jordan has over two times more graded cards in the market versus 1997 or 1998! Back of the napkin math tells us 1997 Jordan Platinum Medallion pack odds could be in the 1 in 62,000 packs range. This sounds somewhat realistic given the other cards we have discussed so far with similarly difficult odds.
#6) 1996 Fleer Thrill Seekers #6
The 1996 Thrill Seekers lenticular inserts were added to the base sets of Fleer’s Series 2 NBA Hobby boxes. Traditionally, Fleer produced two different series of cards for a given season, one at the start, and a later edition that included rookies. So, along with Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson’s rookie cards, one might come across this lenticular-themed insert. And just like the Ultra Stars Gold, the Thrill Seekers Jordan is not serial numbered.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $20,740 October, 2023 (Grade: PSA 10)
It’s rare to find a Gem Mint Michael Jordan Thrill Seekers, which helps keep the price elevated in the five-digit area. A PSA 10 copy sold for $20,740, with a BGS 9.5 going for $11,000 back in May, 2023. But the values decline precipitously from there; a BGS 9, for instance, is only $2,410.
A total of 253 cards have been graded by PSA and BGS, along with six from SGC. Only 26 total Gem Mint copies have been awarded, which is similar to the amount of Gem Mint Ultra Stars Gold cards in the market.
Pack Odds and Rarity
Fortunately, we know the odds for hitting a Thrill Seekers insert — a cozy 1:240. With 15 total cards in the set, one would have to rip 3,600 packs to find a Thrill Seekers Jordan Fleer insert. The first insert on this list that could be found in under 5,000 packs!
#7) 1993 Fleer Ultra Scoring Kings #5
You had to know a 10-time scoring champ would appear in a series called “Scoring Kings.” This 10-card set was reserved for the truly elite bucket-getters of the early ’90s.The bolt of lightning in the background and silver foil lettering along the base were bold touches. In fact, the card is so sick that we included it among our list of the 25 Coldest Basketball Cards ever printed. We also highlighted all four MJ Scoring Kings because they’re that important.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $14,640 October, 2023 (Grade: PSA 10)
The Scoring Kings is one card where condition really could be the difference between owning a Nissan or a scooter. At $14,640 for a PSA 10, the values plummet starting at PSA 9 ($1,939) and 8 ($722).
This is because there are over 4,000 graded copies of the electric card, and just near 100 Gem Mint copies across the major graders. It wasn’t terribly difficult to find the MJ Scoring Kings when ripping ’93 Ultra packs.
Pack Odds and Rarity
With a pack rate of 1:36 to hitting any Scoring Kings insert, one would have to uncork 360 packs to secure the Scoring Kings Jordan Fleer insert.
#8) 1997 Fleer Ultra Court Masters #1
One image of Jordan is pretty special, but in ’97, Fleer upped the ante with a card featuring two pictures of Jordan’s likeness. The topsy-turvy insert came in Series 2 hobby packs. By now you’ve probably come to realize Fleer was killing it in the the ’90s, especially in 1997 and ’98.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $14,640 October, 2023 (Grade: PSA 10)
The Court Masters in PSA 10 is currently valued at $14,640, a massive comeback from a roughly $6,000 sale price from just one year earlier. Mint copies sell in the $2,000 range otherwise, and only 67 gems exist across PSA, BGS, and SGC.
Pack Odds and Rarity
We’re back to some longer odds with this card. The Court Masters insert was added at a rate of 1:144 (noted on the wax box), and with 20 total cards in the set, you’d have to open 2,880 packs to land one of these Jordan Fleer inserts.
#9) 1998 Fleer Ultra Platinum Medallion #85P /99
Fleer followed up its stellar ’97 Platinum Medallion (numbered) inserts with another strong look in ’98. This set featured varied print runs depending on a player’s experience in the league. Veterans were numbered /99, while rookies were numbered to just /66.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $14,300 January, 2023 (Grade: BGS 9 )
These card values tend to hold up much better across lower grades than several other cards on this list. For instance, a PSA 10 is estimated to be valued at $36,000, while a BGS 9.5 comes in at nearly $24,000. For lower-graded cards, have no fear — a PSA 8 still slides in at $9,300.
Pack Odds and Rarity
Much like the Platinum Medallion set from the year prior, it’s no easy task to determine this card’s pack odds. The hobby box featuring these cards only notes the print runs for veteran and rookie cards, while the Gold Medallion cards carry a 1:1 pack rate for veterans. If the graded pop counts of earlier Platinum Medallions are any indication, this /99 Jordan has very long odds.
#10) 1992 Fleer All-Stars #6
The 1992 Fleer All-Stars set was made to commemorate the, well, you get it. The ’92 midseason festivities featured a host of elite NBA talent; Jordan was joined on the Eastern Conference team by Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and Patrick Ewing. A total of 24 cards were produced, with the Eastern Conference earning #1-12, while the West got #13-24.
Value
Highest Recent Sale: $14,000 March, 2023 (Grade: PSA 10)
With a high pop count (1,670 graded), these cards tend to lose value quickly as the grading quality drops.
For instance, the last PSA 10 sold for $14,000, but a PSA 9 is just valued at $297, while a PSA 7 costs about half as much as a new hardcover book ($14). The reason the Gem Mint copies do so well is because the gem rate for this card is extremely low, with 1% of copies getting the illustrious designation for a grand total of 15 cards.
Pack Odds and Rarity
The All-Star inserts came at a pack rate of roughly 1:9. With 24 total cards in the set, one would have to open 216 packs to hit one of these Jordan Fleer inserts.
Other Notable Jordan Fleer Inserts
The ’92 All-Star squeaks onto this list thanks in large part for its absurdly low Gem Mint rate. But it’s not alone in that regard, especially for the handful of cards on the outside looking in on the top-10 list.
The 1992 Total D card sold for $7,920 earlier this year in PSA 10 and carries its value thanks to its low Gem Mint rate (3.7%).
The same is broadly true for the ’93 Fleer Ultra Power in the Key, which combined foil and flash and was a popular insert next to the Scoring Kings. With a pop count nearing 3,000 total, only 54 are Gems across the main graders. A PSA 10 is valued at around $5,200 while a BGS 9.5 comes in near $4,000.
And we’d be remiss if we didn’t include a personal favorite: the Living Legends 1993 Fleer Jordan inserts. Approaching $2,000 in PSA 10 (pop 77), it’s a nice, lower-budget alternative to some of the others on this list.
Summary
The most valuable Michael Jordan Fleer inserts (or parallels) share similar qualities: they either have epic designs, are super hard to pull, or numbered (or both), and go for five-digit dollar amounts in high-grade.
When eyeballing the top 10 table, the one card that stands out is the Scoring Kings from ’93 Fleer Ultra. One of the flashiest cards on the list, it’s been graded thousands of times and achieved just a 5% gem rate (200+ gems). Pound for pound, it is arguably the most popular of the Jordan Fleer Inserts from the 1990s. By comparison, the All-Stars card from ’92 Fleer isn’t hard to pull either, and only 15 gems have ever been assessed. It shows us a low gem rate, and by extension low supply, can translate into high valuations for popular MJ cards.
Which Jordan Fleer inserts are your favorites? Lucky enough to get your hands on one of these gems? Drop us a note in the comments; we would love to hear from you! And if you’re interested in furthering your knowledge of Michael Jordan card collecting, check out our additional reading section below.
Additional MJ Reading
- 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan Sticker is up 1,383% since 2006
- Michael Jordan Upper Deck Cards of the 90s
- 18+ Intriguing Michael Jordan Sports Cards Statistics
- Top 10 Most Valuable Jordan Cards
- 17 Legendary Michael Jordan Gold Cards