In the late 1990s, Michael Jordan fans in Chicago could get game-used Jordan jerseys for less than $50,000 directly from the Bulls.
A jersey from a game in 1998, Jordan's last season with the team, that came with a 2003 letter from the Bulls charity, the Charitabulls, sold Friday night at Heritage for $360,000. Heritage put a low estimate on the lot at $500,000.
The road red jersey was matched to a Feb. 19, 1998 game against the Toronto Raptors. MJ didn't have a stellar game, scoring no points in the first half and 13 of his 16 in the third in the Bulls' 123-86 romp.
CLLCT'S FULL COVERAGE OF HERITAGE SUMMER PLATINUM AUCTIONS:
- Babe Ruth ‘Called Shot’ jersey sells for record $24.12 million
- Jackie Robinson 1951 jersey sells for record $5.52 million
- Mickey Mantle jersey from 1952-53 World Series sells for $3 million
- Hank Aaron rookie jersey sells for record $2.1 million
- Jackie Robinson debut ticket sells for $324,000, third-highest price for unsigned ticket
- Ty Cobb T206 card sells for near-record $870k
- Barry Bonds' record-tying 755th HR ball sells for $102k
Jerseys from Jordan's final season, in which he led the Bulls to their sixth title in eight seasons, are more desirable because of the "Last Dance" documentary that captivated the nation in 2020. Jerseys from that season are also the only Bulls jerseys made by Nike.
The sale is impressive, though not by the standard of recent jumps in hobby.
In 2022, Sotheby's sold Jordan's game-used jersey from Game 1 of the 1998 Finals for $10.1 million. In 2023, the auction house sold a jersey from his final season matched to eight games for $658,000 and another matched to two games for $508,000.
A jersey from the same season, matched to a home game against the Wizards with a Charitabulls letter, and signed by Jordan, sold for $240,000 at REA four years ago, when the market was in a completely different place. In 2015, that same jersey sold in Goldin for $51,518.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectible market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.