This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/4/2020
It's a little ironic that a Fleer baseball wax box from 1986 attracts only mild interest while a basketball wax box from the same year is a goldmine, but it's true. It was only a few decades ago that an unopened box of Fleer basketball cards could be purchased at the local store for around the price of a movie ticket today. But who could have known that the 1986 Fleer basketball set, led by the rookie card of Michael Jordan, would become one of the flagship collections from the hardcourt? After all, basketball cards never did have a very good track record, with failed "one-hit wonders" by Bowman (1948), Topps (1957), and Fleer (1961). Topps gave it another go with the 1969 set and put together a run of annual sets that lasted up through 1981 before calling it quits again. Each of those inaugural sets gave birth to some of the sport's most important rookie cards, but it was becoming increasingly clear that basketball was nothing more than a secondary sport and basketball cards just weren't going to gain any traction in the sports card market. But then came Michael Jordan! MJ led a contingent of fresh new superstars to the game, all of which would be presented as "rookie cards" if some new company would come along to represent them. Ah, but then came the 1986 Fleer set! While Fleer sold enough of the product to continue annual sets, the basketball card market wasn't reaching anywhere near the level of popularity as the dreadfully over-saturated baseball card market, so the level of production for basketball cards reflected the public's less than stellar demand. To make matters worse, Fleer still hadn't solved the problem of poor quality control that was so prevalent in their first attempt in 1961. But as Michael Jordan built a legacy that anointed him the greatest and most recognized athlete in the world, and Charles Barkley, Joe Dumars, Patrick Ewing, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, Isiah Thomas, and James Worthy, all of which make their debuts in the 1986 Fleer set, rose to the level of superstardom, basketball overtook baseball as the most popular sports league in America. What was once a cheap, poorly manufactured box of basketball cards has now risen a level that transcends the hobby and is only available to the well-financed. That is, unless you were savvy enough to sock a few away back in the 1980s, you know, just in case! Presented is a full, unopened 36-count 1986 Fleer basketball box that is as pristine as when it sat on the candy store shelf over 30 years ago. Authenticated and sealed by Baseball Card Exchange, BBCE owner Steve Hart has certified, "... the collation of stickers is proper for a Fleer issued box. There are 3 stickers showing of each player and a 4th sticker showing of three additional players: Dantley, Bird, and English." The box is wrapped and sealed by BBCE with their seal of approval, a rock-solid testimony to its authenticity, along with the signed letter from Mr. Hart. There is no single, more successful investment in the hobby than this, and the potential for advancement is limitless!