Basketball · REFERENCE ENTRY
Michael Jordan
1986 · Fleer Basketball · #57
A recognized Jordan rookie from Fleer’s 1986 basketball release.
- Sport
- Basketball
- Year / season
- 1986
- Set
- Fleer Basketball
- Number
- #57
- Format
- Card
- Issue status
- Rookie card
About this card
Michael Jordan’s 1986 Fleer Basketball card is number 57 in that release. Fleer returned to basketball in 1986-87 with a 132-card set that came with a sticker in each pack, and the late-1980s Fleer sets hold the rookie cards of many stars of that era.
The catalog labels this a rookie card, based on the source cited below.
How to identify it
Fleer cards of this period show wear and miscuts clearly, and the most famous ones have been counterfeited, so compare the printing and the card back with a known example.
In Michael Jordan’s run
Michael Jordan has 2 entries in this catalog, from 1986 to 1987, and this is the earliest of them. Nearby entries are listed below, so you can compare the releases that sit around this one.
In the 1986 checklist
The catalog’s selected checklist for the 1986 Fleer Basketball release also includes Charles Barkley, Larry Bird, Julius Erving, Magic Johnson and Hakeem Olajuwon. It is a partial checklist of cataloged cards, not the full release.
- Charles Barkley, 1986 Fleer Basketball #7
- Larry Bird, 1986 Fleer Basketball #9
- Julius Erving, 1986 Fleer Basketball #31
- Magic Johnson, 1986 Fleer Basketball #53
What to know about this issue
- The rookie-card classification does not mean this was Jordan’s first NBA season; PSA records his 1984 NBA draft and debut era.
- PSA warns of counterfeits and wear along the multicolored borders. A catalog match does not authenticate a particular copy.
Inspect the source
Source reviewed 2026-10-07. The source describes this issue; it does not verify any item offered by a third party.
No assigned grade, market value or verified offer is supplied by this reference entry.
Read the basketball collecting guideRaw or graded. Inspect the actual copy.
The issue stays 1986 · Fleer Basketball. These are research checks, not a condition assessment of a specimen.
Raw / ungraded
- Match the issue
- Match the full year or season, release, number and named edition to this reference. Ask for readable images of the actual item’s front and back.
- Record visible condition
- Inspect corners, edges, centering and surface in suitable photographs or in person. Record damage or unanswered questions without assigning a predicted professional grade.
- Keep authentication separate
- Ungraded does not establish authenticity or mean “never authenticated.” A protective case alone does not establish a professional condition grade.
Professionally graded
- Read the complete label
- Record the grading company, exact issue, card grade and any qualifiers or designation. Keep an autograph grade separate from the card’s condition grade. An authentication-only designation may have no numeric condition grade.
- Compare the certification record
- Use the company’s official lookup and compare its issue details and available images with the actual item, label and holder. A matching certification number alone does not establish that an offered item is genuine.
- Compare within the stated scale
- Retain the company’s exact grade name and number. Different companies and grade designations are not automatically equivalent; a numeric label does not establish a current price.
A source-linked reference or historical scan does not authenticate the card you are considering. CardRoster supplies no assigned grade, certification or price for it.