Nov. 17--An autographed Michael Jordan 1998 jersey -- his last worn as a Bull during a regular season game -- has sold at auction for $173,240. The sale set a record for the public auction of a Jordan collectible.
Jordan wore the home whites on April 18, 1998, and scored 44 points to help the Bulls rally from a 5-point deficit and beat the New York Knicks 111-109 at the United Center.
"It is the highest (price) of any jersey used in the past 25 years has sold for by far," said Ken Goldin, founder of Goldin Auctions. "It is the highest priced Jordan collectible ever sold." The Nike shoes Jordan wore during Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals -- better known as "the flu game" -- sold for $104,965.
The 1998 jersey went up for bid online on Oct. 19 and was sold on Saturday. Goldin Auctions said the seller and buyer have chosen to remain anonymous.
The Bulls originally sold the jersey to a private buyer to benefit CharitaBulls charities in 2004, and provided a letter of authenticity. Upper Deck Authenticated verified that Jordan autographed the jersey for the buyer and Goldin Auctions had the MeiGray Group photo-match it for additional verification.
"It's a very significant sale," said David Kohler, president of SCP Auctions. "Obviously, Michael Jordan game-used, game-worn items are very desirable, and especially if it has photo-matching and documentation. ... That adds into a lot of these things bringing very strong prices in the sports memorabilia market."
An autographed Virgina Squires jersey Julius Erving wore during the 1972-73 ABA season sold for $190,414, according to several reports. SCP Auctions handled a private sale of Erving's Squires jersey and shorts from his 1971-72 rookie season for $250,000, which is believed to be the highest ever paid for a basketball uniform.
Goldin Auctions also handled the recent sale of Jordan's Nike Air Jordan XI shoes, which he wore when he scored 36 points against the Seattle SuperSonics in Game 3 of the Finals on June 9, 1996. The shoes fetched $34,160.
As for the '98 Jordan jersey, Goldin took his chance to hold history before it went to its latest owner. "Yeah, of course, and the shoes, too."
Goldin stopped short of trying to completely be like Mike. "No, I did not wear it," he said.
plthompson@tribpub.com
