CHICAGO _ A game ticket from Michael Jordan's 1984 NBA debut for the Chicago Bulls sold for nearly $25,000, a record for a ticket of its kind but not the overall record for the Hall of Famer's first game.
The Huggins and Scott Auctions sale, which ended in the wee hours Friday morning, drew 62 bids and closed at $24,907.50, including the buyer's premium.
"The Jordan stuff right now is just through the ceiling on everything," said Mark Townsend, owner of Columbia, Maryland-based TicketsFromThePast.com. "It's just crazy."
The ticket stub, one of only 11 graded by sports memorabilia authentication service PSA, was from the Bulls season opener against the Washington Bullets on Oct. 26, 1984, at Chicago Stadium. Jordan had 16 points, six rebounds, seven assists, two steals and four blocked shots in a 109-93 Bulls victory in front of 13,913 fans.
According to a Huggins and Scott spokesman, the sale set a record for a box-office ticket from Jordan's debut.
In August 2018, Heritage Auction fetched an NBA-record $33,600 for a season ticket from Jordan's debut, which is harder to come by than a box-office-issued ticket like the one sold Friday. Last year, another season ticket went for $28,800 through Goldin Auctions.
Townsend said he was surprised Friday's general-admission ticket sold for such a high price with a "Good 2" grade on a scale of 10.
"That's on the bottom scale," Townsend said. "Two is just good. It could have creases in it, it could (have) a staple hole maybe. It could be a ticket that looks like it's been to the game."
But it's a seller's market, and tickets from basketball stadiums, which are smaller than their football and baseball counterparts, have fewer inventory.
And it's Jordan.
His memorabilia in general has skyrocketed before, during and after the airing of "The Last Dance," the ESPN documentary on the 1990s Bulls dynasty.
"I just saw on eBay for his (1994) Major League Baseball debut (ticket when Jordan played for the White Sox), they're asking for $19,999," Townsend said. "Another one, they're asking $15,000."
