Basketball Cards: 10 Must-Own Michael Jordan Inserts from the 1990s
Michael Jordan will always have a place atop the basketball card collecting hobby.
The high-flying Chicago Bulls superstar was the face of the NBA during the 1990s. As such, it's no surprise that he was a staple in insert sets throughout the decade.
While many cards from the '90s have tanked in value as a result of mass production, a variety of inserts had smaller print runs and have remained in-demand decades later as a result.
Here, we've highlighted 10 must-own Michael Jordan inserts from the 1990s, ranging in value from under $20 to more than $1,000. Included is a look at some recent sales data from eBay for both ungraded and high-grade versions and a breakdown of the cards' appearance and how difficult they were to pull from packs.
1992-93 Stadium Club Beam Team #1
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The 1992-93 Stadium Club Beam Team insert set helped launch the 1990s insert card craze on the basketball side of the card-collecting hobby. Thanks to its iconic design and enduring popularity, the cards have held their value better than most from that era.
The 21-card set features a laser-beam design on either side of an action shot, with the words "Beam Team" prominently displayed at the top. The inserts were exclusive to Series 2 packs of 1992-93 Stadium Club, which was the premium brand under the Topps umbrella at the time.
Since the inserts were found in 1:36 packs and there is a 21-card checklist, that meant the Jordan card was found in only 1:756 packs on average. Consistent left-right centering issues have played a major role in limiting the population of PSA 10 copies to only 100 of the 2,093 submitted for grading.
1993-94 SkyBox Premium Center Stage #CS1
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With a color action shot against an all-black background, the 1993-94 SkyBox Premium Center Stage inserts don't have the same razzle dazzle as some of their 1990s counterparts. That may be part of the reason why they stand out from the pack.
The set had a small nine-card checklist, and they were a relatively easy pull at 1:12 packs, meaning every 108 or so packs contained the Michael Jordan insert.
Only 61 of the 1,017 submitted to PSA for grading have come back with a PSA 10 grade. That's a result of the black background taking edge and surface wear more prominently than other colors.
1993-94 Ultra Famous Nicknames #7
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The Fleer brand and its premium offshoot, Fleer Ultra, leaned into insert card mania as hard as any company in the trading card industry. It rolled out a wide variety of different insert sets each year to cater to the current market.
The 1993-94 Ultra release featured 12 different insert sets, two of which will make an appearance on this list. We start with the Famous Nicknames insert set.
As you might expect, the 15-card set highlighted some of the league's best nicknames, including Sir Charles (Charles Barkley), The Glide (Clyde Drexler), The Mailman (Karl Malone), The Dream (Hakeem Olajuwon) and The Admiral (David Robinson).
The Jordan card simply says "Air" for Air Jordan, and it's a nice, affordable mid-'90s insert for any collector to target.
1993-94 Ultra Scoring Kings #5
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With a metallic background adorned with dramatic lightning bolts, the 1993-94 Ultra Scoring Kings inserts are some of the best-looking basketball cards ever made.
They were not an overly difficult pull at 1:36 packs of Series 1, and with a 10-card checklist, that meant one Michael Jordan card for every 360 packs opened. But the incredible design has helped keep values high for several decades.
A PSA 10 version of the Jordan card sold on eBay for a staggering $10,100 back in late June, and even ungraded copies regularly command hundreds of dollars. It was one of only 97 PSA 10 copies among the 1,574 that have been submitted over the years.
1993-94 Upper Deck Holojams #H4
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The Upper Deck brand frequently utilized hologram technology throughout the 1990s in its insert sets. The 1993-94 Holojams set is one of the most prominent examples.
Sold as a complete boxed set and available exclusively through hobby stores for $24.95, the 36-card checklist featured one player from each team and nine rookies. It was meant to highlight the best dunkers in the NBA.
A total of 127,800 sets were produced, so they are not scarce by any means, but that doesn't take away from their excellent aesthetic value. Only 385 have been sent to PSA for grading, with only 49 returning a PSA 9 grade and 10 coming back with a PSA 10.
1995-96 Ultra Gold Medallion #25
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One of the biggest focuses of the current card-collecting hobby is parallels, which are essentially base cards produced in a different color or with a different background design and carrying a limited print run.
Some of the first parallels were found in 1990s products. They often came at a one-per-pack ratio, as was the case with the Ultra Gold Medallion parallels found in Series 1 packs of 1995-96 Ultra.
They were not well-received at the time, and Ultra abandoned the idea for Series 2, meaning only the first 200 cards in the 350-card set have a Gold Medallion parallel. The dramatic gold foil background pops, and for less than $100, the Jordan card remains a steal relative to many other inserts from the same era.
1996-97 SkyBox Z-Force Big Man On Court #4
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There are some great-looking insert sets in the SkyBox Z-Force product, but none are better than the die-cut Big Man on Court inserts.
With cartoonish, graffiti-style lettering and an extremely condition-sensitive design due to the intricate die-cutting, they remain some of the most sought-after inserts of the 1990s. That goes for everyone on the checklist, not just Jordan.
With that said, the Jordan card is undoubtedly the headliner, and ungraded versions can fetch more than $1,000. With a 10-card checklist and long odds of 1:240 packs of Series 2, it took roughly 2,400 packs to be guaranteed the Jordan card.
1996-97 Topps Season's Best #1
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The 1996-97 Topps Season's Best inserts highlighted the previous season's statistical leaders in a unique way.
The top five players in five different statistical categories were highlighted in the set, but each category was given a flashy name, with En Fuego (points), Board Members (rebounds), Sticky Fingers (steals), Dish Men (assists) and Swat Team (blocks) making up the 25-card set.
Jordan has an "En Fuego" and a "Sticky Fingers" card, and we've chosen the En Fuego card to highlight here. The cards were not overly difficult to pull at 1:8 packs of Series 1, but the large checklist still meant pulling one of the Jordan cards was relatively difficult.
1997-98 E-X2001 Jambalaya #6
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Recent Raw Sale: N/A
Recent PSA Sale: N/A
There might not be a more sought-after 1990s insert set than the Jambalaya inserts found in packs of 1997-98 E-X2001.
With a die-cut, faux-stained glass design, it isn't hard to see why collectors love these cards, and it isn't only the Jordan card that sells for significant coin. Case in point, an ungraded Dennis Rodman sold for a staggering $1,818 back on July 25.
With extremely long pull odds of just 1:720 packs for the inserts in general and a 15-card checklist, that meant the Jordan card fell one in every 10,800 packs. They have an estimated print run of only 125, and there have been a total of 47 sent to PSA for grading.
If you have one of these sitting in your closet at home, you've hit the jackpot.
1998-99 SkyBox E-X Century Dunk ‘n Go Nuts #15
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Recent Raw Sale: N/A
Recent PSA Sale: $3,199.99 (6/28)
Nothing says basketball like...Dunkin' Donuts?
The 1998-99 SkyBox E-X set included a Dunk 'N Go Nuts insert set highlighting some of the game's best dunkers, with a design similar to the Dunkin' Donuts lettering.
The inserts were found in 1:36 packs, and with a 20-card checklist, the Jordan card was not an easy pull. With that said, the value here stems in part from the condition-sensitive nature of the acetate cards.
To that point, there are only 61 PSA 10 copies in circulation.
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