(LOT 344)
1986 Fleer Sticker #1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar PSA 10 GEM MIINT!
SCARCE PSA 10 KAREEM!!! One of the NBA's most iconic cardboard sets continues to be the 1986 Fleer compilation, which just happened to include one sticker card in each wax pack. While there are 132 subjects in the basic set, only 11 different sticker cards were issued. Nine of those eleven players are Hall of Famers, with one of the exalted subjects being the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Presented here just happens to be one of the seldom-surfacing PSA 10 GEM MINT 1986 Fleer Sticker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar examples, one of only 15 such 10s listed on the PSA Pop Chart that includes roughly 3,300 total encapsulated copies! If you think that 15 PSA 10s is a large quantity, then think again, because the remaining 10 Fleer Sticker subjects all reveal at least 40 PSA 10 specimens, with this significant disparity most likely due to the Abdul-Jabbar card being the #1 subject and typically placed at the top of many collectors' stacks.

The meager 15 PSA 10s also represent a fraction of the nearly 100 PSA 10 GEM MINT standard 1986 Fleer Jabbar subjects, and the staggering price tags associated with a 10 Abdul-Jabbar '86 Fleer Sticker card certainly reflect its utmost desirability and scarcity. In 2022, two separate PSA 10 Jabbar '86 Fleer Sticker examples sold for an extraordinary $266K and $240K, more than substantiating this museum-worthy offering's momentous stature amongst the hobby's most elite enthusiasts. In fact, these lofty pricing points far exceed the value of even the iconic PSA 10 Michael Jordan '86 Fleer Sticker, which has now settled into the $40K-$50K price range. The lofty world-class prices for PSA 10 GEM MINT '86 Fleer Sticker Abdul-Jabbar subjects clearly place this revered offering right alongside other iconic basketball issues, including the '48 Bowman George Mikan; '57 Topps Bill Russell; '61 Fleer Wilt Chamberlain; '69 Topps Lew Alcindor, and '86 Fleer Jordan. The great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar started his legendary NBA career as Lew Alcindor with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1969, eventually choosing to utilize his Islamic "Abdul-Jabbar" name in 1971.

He didn't waste any time establishing himself as the next Wilt Chamberlain, averaging 28.8 points and 14.5 rebounds per game in his 1969-70 rookie campaign. The rest of the story is sheer history, with Abdul-Jabbar tallying 38,387 points (24.6 PPG), 17,440 rebounds (11.2 RPG) and 3,189 blocked shots (2.6 BPG). He played in a record 19 All-Star games, won six MVP awards and claimed six NBA titles, two of which were the NBA Finals MVP. Along with the likes of Chamberlain, Jordan, Robertson, Russell, Johnson, Bird, James, and Bryant, his uncanny achievements clearly place him as one of the NBA's greatest all-time players. His representation on this pack-fresh gem is spellbinding, to say the least, with the card literally appearing to have just been pulled from a 1986 Fleer wax pack. It has earned its 10 assessment via the immaculate surfaces and superb centering, which reveals only the slightest hint of partiality towards the left edge.

Indeed, a majority of the Fleer Sticker cards exhibit severely skewed images, with this cardboard masterpiece depicting near-perfect positioning between four dazzling white borders. The 37-year-old heirloom portrays the great Jabbar unleashing another one of his iconic hook shots as he dons his classic #33 Los Angeles Lakers jersey. Pinpoint corner tips, brilliant hues, pristine surfaces reflecting their original gloss, and the lack of any notable flaws all combine to support the ultra-scarce PSA 10 assessment. Pack-fresh in every conceivable way, this miraculous offering truly resides as one of the most significant basketball cards extant and a sheer reminder of the near-perfection Abdul-Jabbar achieved so many times on the hardwood court throughout his storybook career!

MIN BID $20,000
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