NBA Trading Cards
NBA star Michael Jordan cards are displayed at Bleecker Trading in New York on July 06, 2021. - Inside an unassuming store in New York's Greenwich Village, several men unlock black briefcases, remove sports cards and begin to trade them -- a growing hobby and industry that has boomed during the pandemic. Excitement is high after a San Francisco-based investment fund announced earlier that day that it had bought a card of Golden State Warriors' basketball star Stephen Curry for $5.9 million, setting a new record. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

Wild Moment Collector Turns Down $2 Million for Michael Jordan Cards

A collector turned down $2 million for rare Michael Jordan cards as the booming trading card market produces record-breaking sales.

The trading card industry has experienced a major surge in recent years and shows no signs of slowing down.

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According to Yahoo! Finance, the market is valued at $7.8 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $11.8 billion by 2030.

Within that growth, the NBA segment of the trading card market continues to generate significant buzz among collectors.

Michael Jordan Cards Spark Million-Dollar Debate Among Collectors

A video circulating on social media recently showed collector Dave Dzendzel turning down a massive $2 million offer for a pair of Michael Jordan trading cards.

The cards in question were two 1984 Star Michael Jordan cards graded PSA 9. Only three of those cards exist, with Dzendzel owning two of them at the time.

Despite the sizeable offer, Dzendzel declined the deal, believing the cards were significantly undervalued. His decision came even though the third card in circulation had previously sold for $900,000.

"They should be worth a lot more. I think they should be worth the same as a 1951 Bowman, Micky Mantle in a PSA nine," he said. "And this card is actually more rare than the '51 Bowman Mantle, and that sold for $3.2 million in a PSA nine. That's what they should be worth."

While Dzendzel held firm on his valuation publicly, he eventually sold one of the cards for a lower figure.

Cllct.com reported in September 2024 that Dzendzel received "more than $1 million" for one of the PSA 9 cards, while still keeping the other.

According to an anonymous Facebook post shared in the Dinged Corners group, the buyer grew up in Illinois and has been a Chicago Bulls fan since 1983.

Record Sales Highlight Booming Sports Card Market

The market for rare Michael Jordan cards has continued to produce massive sales.

The card was a 1986-87 Fleer PSA 9. According to ESPN, the sale ranks as the third-highest price ever paid for a Jordan rookie card, signed or unsigned.

The highest sale remains a 1-of-1 Michael Jordan autographed Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Logoman card from the 2003-04 season, which sold for $2.9 million in June 2024.

Record-breaking prices continued in August 2025 when a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Autographs card featuring both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant set a new benchmark.

The 1-of-1 card sold for $12.9 million, surpassing the $12.6 million paid for a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card in August 2022.

That sale made the Jordan and Bryant card the second-most expensive piece of sports memorabilia ever sold, behind Babe Ruth's 1932 World Series "called shot" jersey, which fetched $24.1 million.