The 1990 Fleer Michael Jordan basketball card has always been a personal favorite of mine..
Just look at the imagery on the front...
What a perfect way to display Jordan exactly as we remember him: an unstoppable offensive force.
You can even see Scottie Pippen behind him as well as Patrick Ewing and Gerald Wilkins way off in the distance on the left side of the card.
Clearly, Jordan must have been on a break away and boy did he finish strong.
I loved this card as a kid and still do to this day...
And in this guide, I cover everything you need to know about this explosive card.
Let's jump right in!
Key Facts
Distinction: The 1990 Fleer basketball card set is loaded with Hall of Famers like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and many more but Jordan's card is by far the most desirable.
Number: This is card #26 out of 198 total cards in the set.
Design: The design of the the card set is instantly recognizable and is fairly straightforward overall.
The borders have a more classic feel to them than, say, his 1991 Fleer or 1990 SkyBox cards.
And the image of Jordan throwing one down on a break away play right in the viewer's face is simply fantastic.
That image brings so much action and thunder to this card.
Jordan's name and position are framed below in what looks to mirror the design of a key on the court.
The white borders and red/blue inner borders give the card a classic look and feel.
Condition Issues: Centering is usually the biggest obstacle for collectors with this card.
Reverse Side: The reverse side of the card is printed with a vertical layout and features his personal information and stats from previous years.
In the write-up at the bottom, there is actually an uncorrected error which states that during the 1989-90 season Jordan "led the league in scoring for the 3rd straight year" when it was actually the fourth year in a row.
But because the error was uncorrected, all of his 1990 Fleer cards feature that same error so it's one of those cases where an error doesn't make the card more valuable.
Overall the reverse design screams Fleer by the way every section is segmented and with the usage of multiple background colors.
And how about that points per 48 minutes statistic? Jordan was unstoppable...
1990 Fleer Michael Jordan Value
The 1990 Michael Fleer Jordan card can be worth anywhere from less than $1 to $250 or more.
The value depends on two things:
- The condition of the card
- If a third-party grading company like Professional Sports Authenticators (PSA) has graded it to be in pristine condition
To be in pristine, gem mint condition, it has to be in almost flawless, pack-fresh condition with excellent centering, sharp corners, and no surface damage.
Professional grading companies like Beckett, PSA, and SGC are stringent and review cards under magnification to look for flaws.
But, if they determine your card is in top shape, the price of the card will significantly increase.
Here's a look at prices in different PSA grades:
PSA 10 GEM MINT: $250
PSA 9 MINT: $35
PSA 8 NM-MT: $10
Michael Jordan’s Legacy
Michael Jordan was the greatest to ever play the game of basketball.
I am so glad I was able to see him play during his prime.
Every kid I knew wanted to "be like Mike".
He was an overwhelming force on offense and what was just as impressive was his ability to play shutdown defense.
Over 15 seasons as a pro, he would achieve the following:
- 1984-85 Rookie of the Year
- 6x NBA Champ
- 5x MVP
- 14x All-Star
- 10x Scoring Champ
- 11x All-NBA
Those are just some of the amazing accomplishments that he'd put up over his legendary career.
His list of accomplishments was quite huge and who knows what else he could have accomplished had he not retired twice during his playing career?
Jordan cards will always be some of the most desirable in the hobby.