[Brutalfly]

First thank you for your thoughts and comments before hand.

Second here is a back story of how I got this basketball.
In 8th grade I had the Micheal Jordan 92-93 Fleer Ultra Award Winner card.
I was talking about it with some friends at school who also collected cards. The my P.E. teacher said something to us because he also collected cards. He mentioned to me that he wanted to see the card and possibly trade for it. So I brought the card later that week to basketball practice (because he was also my basketball coach as well). He brought in this basketball and of course with Micheal Jordan being my favorite player of all time and my favorite player while I was in 8th grade (other kids and I would see who could collect the most MJ cards. I think I ended up with 100 or so). Anyways we (my coach and I) made a trade. I traded my card for his basketball.
In hindsight I think I probably got took. I sent these pictures to a guy a couple of years ago and he said that the signature looked to big and it looked fake to him. I did not think anything about it til now. I took these pics a couple of years ago when I visited my parents and haven't seen it since. It still resides in their house.

So I am wondering what you guys think? Real or Fake?

[joncarrie2006]

It looks fake to me. I've had a few MJ autos and the M looks off to me. Why would he he trade a Jordan autograph for a card if it was actually real? Just my opinion.

[Brutalfly]

It looks fake to me. I've had a few MJ autos and the M looks off to me. Why would he he trade a Jordan autograph for a card if it was actually real? Just my opinion.

I agree with you why would he.
I was in 8th grade at the time and some people like to take advantage of kids.

[buckunteer]

the fact that he traded the ball for the card makes me most suspicious that it's fake. Sig is pretty close though, but the end of Michael is missing the L and the overlap with Jordan is sketchy too. Haven't seen a ton of autoed basketball by him though. Now I'm curious, I'm gonna look up more basketballs he has signed!

EDIT: Did some looking, I think the J looks off as well, the flourish at the top is too rounded. Pretty good fake effort though honestly, particularly on a basketball and not just a flat picture or card.

[crimedawg47]

You got a basketball for a $2 sv card

[joncarrie2006]

What was the price of it back in 1992?

[altz11]

Fake.

But in all honesty, I think you got the better end of the deal. You got a basketball for a jordan card that's probably not worth it's weight in paper (raw anyhow). Nice score!
I'm guessing he knew it wasn't real but maybe wanted to make you smile and traded with you. I can't imagine a teacher/coach trying to rob a student/player of his. I think it was a nice gesture on his part.

[jonathani]

It looks fake to me. I've had a few MJ autos and the M looks off to me. Why would he he trade a Jordan autograph for a card if it was actually real? Just my opinion.

I think that "M" looks close, but it's too stiff. It doesn't flow into the "23" image he often used. My unprofessional opinion says it isn't real.

[Brutalfly]

When I was in 8th grade I was pretty impressed with trading for it.
I bragged about it.
Little did I know it was going to be a fake.
The P.E. teacher ended up not being creditable in the end. He was a great coach and took a couple teams to state and won a championship if I remember correctly, but I was in a summer school P.E. class where he hit a kid with his car because he did not like him, not enough to do any damage to the kid but he did do it on purpose.
Yes very odd that this stuff would happen and you wish and hope that it would not but unfortunately it does.
Next time I get my hands on the ball it will become a playground ball or I will use it to freak some people out like in "The Sandlot" when the boy has Babe Ruth's ball. I think that will be funny.

I appreciate all of your honest answers.
It is unfortunate that it turned out that way.
I remember that particular card was worth around $40 back then if I am not mistaken. At that age I also saved the becketts that we bought as well and I think I still might have one from back then. I don't know though.

Again thanks for all your help

[djohn]

It looks fake, however A&K Collectibles is a company still in business in Moore, SC. It appears that the company is an online only company now, but their Amazon seller page says they have been dealing in sports collectibles since the 1980s. So there is a chance that it's the same company, especially if you lived in South Carolina in 6th grade. Not sure if they will still "guarantee" the autograph or what they would even consider that to mean, however it might be worth a shot at contacting them to see what they say.