CGC x JSA-certified 1984 Star Court Kings Michael Jordan Auto Breaks Record at Auction
Posted on 6/5/2026
Exactly one year after CGC® announced that it expanded its industry-leading authentication, grading, and encapsulation services to include submissions of 1980s Star Basketball cards, an autographed version of one of Michael Jordan's earliest trading cards has become the first-ever card from the Court Kings oversized set to realize six figures at auction. The record-breaking collectible was showcased in a recent sale presented by Huggins & Scott, realizing more than $100,000 in the auction house's Spring Auction, which concluded May 28, 2026.
The top CGC-certified lot in the auction was a 1984-85 Star Court Kings #26 Michael Jordan graded CGC 6, with an autograph graded JSA 8 (lot 12), which realized $114,000, making it the first card from this set to ever sell for six figures. The 1984-85 Star Court Kings #26 is one of four cards across the 1984-85 Star Basketball sets to feature a young Jordan in the earliest seasons of his tenure with the Chicago Bulls. Star Basketball cards have seen renewed interest in recent years, with many of the Hall of Famers of the era included in the sets. As arguably the greatest NBA player of all time, Jordan's cards in these sets are now highly sought-after and their prices at auction reflect that.
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According to the auction house, a collector met the young superstar in the mid- to late-1980s. The Bulls were in Dallas to play an away game against the Mavericks and the lucky collector crossed paths with Jordan at his team hotel. During their interaction, Jordan autographed the collector's 1984-85 Star Court Kings #26, adding his signature in flowing blue ink that spans nearly 4.5 inches across the oversized card from beneath the backboard to just above the future Hall of Famer's "Banned" Nike Air Jordan 1 sneakers.
Although Jordan's 1986-87 Fleer #57 is considered his first mainstream flagship rookie card and is arguably the most iconic basketball card in the hobby, his Star issues from a couple years prior are considered Jordan's true rookie cards since they were issued during his actual rookie season. The 1984-85 Star #101 was the first to release and the most popular of Jordan's four Star cards, but the 1984-85 Star Court Kings #26 is a beloved collector favorite.
This particular Star card is unique because of its sizing. While most modern sports cards measure 2.5 x 3.5 inches, including most Star Basketball cards, the 1984-85 Star Court Kings #26 is oversized, instead measuring double the size at 5 x 7 inches. Therefore, this coveted Michael Jordan collectible was encapsulated in CGC's sleek jumbo holder, which was tailored specifically to accommodating oversized trading cards.
The 1984-85 Star Court Kings set was released in two 25-card series, with each series in the 50-card set being easily distinguishable. The first series is lined with a yellow border, while the second series is lined with a blue border. The young shooting guard's #26 card was also recognizable for its famous image of Jordan flying through the air in the 1985 NBA Dunk Contest.
In addition, Star Basketball sets were much rarer than mainstream card sets, with most having an estimated production run of 5,000 cards. This particular card's unique measurements, attractive imagery, short print run, and hand-signed autograph by "His Airness" himself make this a rare high-end Jordan collectible that is now in the record books.
Jordan is arguably the greatest basketball player ever and one of the most recognizable figures in all of sports. Between his accomplishments on the hardwood and his signature sneaker line off of it, No. 23 became one of the first global NBA superstars. Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA championships, earned six Finals MVPs, five league MVPs, 14 All-Star selections and three All-Star Game MVPs during his astounding career. Among numerous post-retirement honors, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009 and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.
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