The 1988 Fleer Michael Jordan basketball card may not be as recognizable as his '86 Fleer rookie card, but it continues to hold its own as one of the biggest cards of the 80s.
Despite the '88 Fleer set boasting rookie cards of Hall-of-Famers Scottie Pippen, Reggie Miller, John Stockton and Dennis Rodman, Jordan's card outshines them all.
Those guys are basketball icons, so that should give you an idea how popular Jordan is in this hobby...
And though it's a modern card, it can still be relatively difficult to find in top condition.
Even in the late 80s, Fleer still had quality control issues that make it a challenge to find in PSA 10 condition.
That's why collectors will pay huge price tags for the very best examples.
And in this guide, we'll look at what makes it unique, how much it's worth, and the best ways to buy and sell one.
Let's jump right in!
1988 Fleer Michael Jordan Value
Estimated Ungraded Value: $20 - $50
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $3,500
Estimated PSA 9 Mint Value: $300
Estimated PSA 1 - 8 Values: $25 - $125
The value of a 1988 Fleer #17 Michael Jordan will depend on its condition and whether or not a third-party company like PSA has professionally graded it.
If you go on a site like eBay, you'll notice that prices are all over the place.
Typically, this card will sell between $20 - $50 if it is ungraded or "raw," as the term hobbyists usually like to use for a card that remains as it was when pulled from a pack:
However, if you see the card selling for much higher, it's most likely because the card has been graded.
Prices for graded 1988 Fleer Jordans can vary wildly depending on the grade they receive for one simple reason: collectors are willing to pay higher prices for higher quality cards.
Most grading companies use a 1 - 10 scale to judge a card's condition, with 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest--the higher the grade the higher the value.
When assigning a grade, these companies will focus on four key areas:
- Centering: from top to bottom and left to right, centering should be as close to 50/50 as possible
- Corners: corners should be sharp with no signs of wear, bending or rounding
- Surfaces: the front and back surfaces should be free from any creasing, wrinkles, cuts, scratches or blemishes
- Edges: each of the edges should be free of any dings, dents or chipping
To give you an idea of differences in condition, notice the excellent centering, sharp corners, and beautiful surfaces of the PSA 10 Gem Mint card below versus the PSA 4 VG-EX:
While the PSA 10 example boasts fantastic centering, sharp corners, clean edges and little to no surface issues, the PSA 4 shows tiny hints of wear to the corners, worn edges, surface damage and centering that favors the left and bottom sides.
Yet, regardless of condition, this card remains extremely popular among collectors.
And, it doesn't even feature the most exciting image of Jordan.
Fleer made the right call on his '86 Fleer issue by showing him soaring through the air in typical Jordan fashion.
Here, Jordan is shown getting tangled up against the Atlanta Hawks' Kevin Willis during the middle of what looks like a jumper or maybe a pass down low to a teammate.
It's not the most exciting image, but it's still hard to complain given it's a Jordan card.
1988 Fleer #120 Michael Jordan All-Star
I remember being around 7 or 8 years old and picking up this card from the local card shop with some birthday money that I had saved.
The image of Jordan soaring through the air was more exciting than the one on his base card, so I decided on this instead.
I can't remember how much I paid back then, but I probably had $10-15 that grandparents, aunts, and uncles had given me, and I spread that out to buy multiple cards on that buying trip.
The other day, I pulled it out from my box of old cards for a bit of nostalgia, and after reviewing its damage and centering, I'd say it's probably a PSA 3 or PSA 4 at best.
So, I haven't made enormous gains on it, but I'd never sell it anyway due to the sentimental value tied to it.
But, had I known these cards would be worth this amount today, I'd probably have tried to buy a few more somehow and take better care of them.
We all would, right?
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $5,500
1988 Fleer Sticker #7 Michael Jordan
As Fleer had done the previous two years, they produced a complementary sticker set that featured the biggest superstars in the NBA.
Guys like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing and, of course, Michael Jordan made the shortlist to be included.
Today, it's extremely tough to find these in PSA 10 condition.
Since these were stickers, most kids did what any kid would do with them: peel them off and stick them on notebooks, doors, walls, or any other flat surface where they wanted to view their biggest basketball heroes.
And even if they remain unpeeled today, they are notoriously off-centered as Fleer wasn't too concerned with centering or other quality control issues since they were to be peeled off anyway.
You might be surprised, but these go for five-figures in PSA 10 condition.
Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $30,000
1988 Fleer Michael Jordan Review
As the 1986 Fleer Jordan rookie continues to command six-figure price tags in PSA 10 condition, most collectors have long ago been priced out of the market.
Because of that, you'll often find that his second-year 1987 Fleer issue and his 1988 Fleer issue have both steadily climbed over time as collectors opt for those as consolation prizes.
I remember when this card used to go for a few hundred dollars in PSA 10 condition.
Everything has gone up since those days.
But Jordan cards, like this one, have done especially well as hobby interest flocks more and more to icons like him.
I have always loved the 1988 Fleer set as it was one of the first basketball sets I remember collecting as a kid.
And as a huge Jordan fan myself, I always love his cards, including those on this list.