When one thinks of the 1986 Fleer basketball set, Michael Jordan’s rookie card is the first thing to come to mind.
After all, it is the most valuable offering from the set and among the most significant and expensive cards in the entire hobby.
Next, other standout rookies from the release, such as Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, also have captivated collectors.
One name that does not exactly leap off the page is Johnny Moore. Yes, Moore did lead the league in assists during the 1981-82 season, but other than that, his nine NBA seasons, mostly with the San Antonio Spurs, were respectable but unspectacular.
Yet, it is Moore, along with two-time All-Star Jeff Malone, whose names grace the most expensive cards in the entire set, other than Jordan’s (not counting Kareem Abul-Jabbar’s sticker).
In one head-scratching sale back in 2022, a collector shelled out more than $90,000 for a PSA 10 Moore. Malone’s card in top condition has sold for as much as $38,400.
Why?
Those two cards are the only two in the entire 132-card set to have fewer than 70 PSA 10s. Malone has 67, and Moore has 69. This is a result of various condition issues present on both cards.
In the case of Moore, it might be a result of its placement in one version's arrangement of the uncut sheet of cards, called “Sheet B” by BBCE, in which Moore’s card is the very first on the top left, making it more susceptible to damage. Both Moore and Malone’s cards are also subject to centering and printing defects.
As a result, Malone grades a PSA 10 just 2.06% of the time, and Moore is at 1.59%. The set yields a perfect grade in just 4% of grades at PSA, according to GemRate.
Still, is rarity alone enough to create a market for two players, who, let’s face it, are not exactly collectible?
Not quite. It’s the high demand created by set collectors, particularly those chasing every card from the set in a PSA 10, which drives up prices for these two players.
Last month, Goldin sold a complete set of PSA 10 cards from the set for $341,600. Only 12 such sets are currently listed in PSA’s set registry, and, thanks to Malone, there is a maximum of 67 that can ever exist.
A PSA 10 Moore will join Fanatics Collect’s July Premier Auction beginning this week. One sold most recently in June for $11,400.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible content.