The 1986 Fleer basketball set has long been considered one of the most valuable sets in any sport that was produced in modern times. The set included rookies of Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins, Byron Scott and more.
In addition the set was produced in low numbers meaning that supply remained much lower than preceding sets in basketball. The price of player stickers from this set has gone as high as $500.00 in recent auctions for the complete sticker set graded at a collective 8 or below.
So this week we took a look at some top cards listed online from that signature set to find out if premium prices are still being charged for the ’86 cards. In deference to Portland fans that have been shell-shocked by the Greg Oden story, we won’t be listing any Sam Bowie cards. It should be noted that besides eBay, Beckett.com and Yahoo! Auctions, cards from the 1986 Fleer set were virtually impossible to find.
1986-87 Unopened Fleer Basketball Wax Pack PSA 9
Website: eBay
Price: $249.00
Bids: 3
Comment: Yes, that is an unopened pack of 15 Fleer basketball cards that has been graded a PSA 9. So we’re assuming that any cards inside will have a 9 or better grade as well. This is the hobby’s ultimate example of going “all in” just as you would at the poker tables. If nothing else this had to be the most intriguing of all listings we could find this week.
1986 Fleer Karl Malone #68 RC BGS 9
Website: Yahoo! Auctions
Price: $135.00
Bids: 12
Comment: Even without a ring, the Mailman can still deliver some value to collectors. At one point Malone’s card was the second most valuable one from this set but the lack of a championship and a reasonably small demand has led to a retraction of his rookie cards. This purchase price appears to be about as much as a seller could get for an online auction of this Malone card today.
1986 Fleer Byron Scott #99 RC PSA 9
Website: eBay
Price: $49.99 (Buy it now)
Comment: Scott was a deadly shooter and has become a well respected head coach but there is debate over whether he was a product of outstanding Laker teammates like Magic, Worthy and Kareem. The seller might be hard-pressed to get $50 for an unlikely Hall of Famer who was at best the fourth best player on his team.
1986 Fleer Sticker Michael Jordan GA 7
Website: Yahoo! Auctions
Price: $106.00
Bids: 10
Comment: There was a small set of sticker cards that went along with the base 1986 Fleer set that have also held their value relatively high. Although this card is by no means considered a Jordan rookie card, in many ways it is rarer than Jordan’s rookie and a grade of “9” or better likely could have meant that this sticker could be sold for as much as $500 or more.
1986 Fleer Joe Dumars #27 RC PSA 10
Website: Yahoo! Auctions
Price: $178.50
Bids: 7
Comment: Dumars clearly has had more success in his post playing days than his former backcourt Bad Boy partner Isiah Thomas. It can (and should) be debated whether Dumars is truly a Hall of Famer but since there aren’t many graded cards from a top-shelf grading service like BGS or PSA around, this card clearly has value appropriate for this final price.
1986-87 Fleer Basketball Michael Jordan RC #57 BGS 8.5
Website: ebay
Price: $452.66
Bids: 12
Comment: Of course this is the gem in the entire set and the final price goes to show you what a 10 Gem Mint from a reliable grading authority could fetch on the open market. The activity on this card in the final seconds of the auction was fast and furious jumping as much as $50.00 in the last five minutes.
1986 Fleer Isiah Thomas #109 RC PSA 9
Website: eBay
Price: $132.05 (buy it now)
Bids: 8
Comment: The only fan base that hates a coach or executive more than the Celtics’ fan base hates Doc is the Knicks with Isiah. And although history should tell a story of Thomas being one of the more underrated players of his time, his post-playing decisions have taken the luster of his appeal. Is there hope for the Knicks under Thomas’ leadership? It might all depend on Zach Randolph.
1986-87 Larry Bird Fleer #9 PSA 9.5
Website: Yahoo! Auctions
Price: $29.75
Bids: 12
Comment: This obviously wasn’t Bird’s rookie card but the high grade is unique for cards from this set. Given the right card there is still a high market for Bird graded cards and 1986 was perhaps his finest regular season before back problems began occurring in the late 1980s.
1986 Fleer #132 Checklist BGS 8.5
Website: Beckett.com
Price: $45.00
Bids: 1
Comment: It’s surprising that a checklist would even have this much value but apparently there is a demand because the supply is so small. Yet it doesn’t seem as if many individuals would collect checklists. So if you have one lying around from the 1986 Fleer set, get it graded.
1986 Fleer Mel Turpin #116 PSA 10
Website: eBay
Price: $49.99
Bids: 1
Comment: That is correct, Mel Turpin’s card did sell for $50. That makes the poker gamble of buying a pack of cards for $249 seem like a Microsoft pre-1990s investment. Let’s assume that the buyer of this card just needed Turpin’s #116 to finish off his or her complete set. If not, we might have to wonder about this validity of this purchase.
