Thirty years after its release, one Michael Jordan card has exploded in price as collectors have noticed an apparent cameo in the background from the infamous Menendez brothers.
Much like the 1990 Hoops Mark Jackson card with the two brothers sitting courtside, collectors recently found the Michael Jordan 1994 Upper Deck Rare Air No. 89 also features what appears to be convicted murderers Lyle and Erik Menendez in the background.
Interest in the card has spread quickly this month after a French collector discovered the brothers looking on from the bottom right corner of the card as Jordan rises for a shot against the New York Knicks on Jan. 15, 1990.
The brothers, now the subject of the popular Netflix series “MONSTERS: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,” were convicted of murdering their parents in March 1990, months after the attack in August 1989. The brothers would draw additional interest from police after the initial investigation while spending their inheritance on lavish items, including courtside tickets to basketball games.
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Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón filed a petition last week for resentencing the brothers, who are currently serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. If approved, the brothers could be eligible for release in the future.
Driven by the appearance of the brothers, interest in the Jordan card has surged in recent weeks. Part of a tribute set with incredible photographs of Jordan, card No. 89 has been graded by PSA just 68 times with just 18 earning a PSA 10.
According to Card Ladder, two PSA 9 examples sold for $705 and $400 on Saturday, easily topping the previous high of $225 for the card in any condition. A PSA 10 example sold for just $213 in 2021, and another PSA 10 fetched just $95 on eBay in 2023.
Of the 103 sales results returned by Card Ladder for the card, 51 have been sold within the last 14 days.
Two tickets to the game also sold on eBay in recent days, with one fetching $180 and the other $125.
The price surge for Jordan follows a similar trend for the Jackson card, which has had a PSA 10 example sell for as much as $4,000.
Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct.