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Michael Jordan auto - Legit? What to do with it

Hi everyone,

Long story short, was gifted this card back in 2008 by my aunt from the states as a 25th birthday and soon-to-be-dad present. I was almost more happy about the card, than knowing I was about to become a dad, haha!

As I recall, it was signed in 2001 or 2003 (I can't ask her as she's not with us anymore)
I've been thinking about sending it in for authentication from time to time, but given my location (Denmark) I don't have any local options and it's expensive to send it overseas, I never put too much energy into it, since I don't have any intention of selling it, it holds too much sentimental value, on top of it being my childhood hero right there! :)
So, I recently got into collecting again, now that my son is getting interested as well, and I once again thought about getting the card authenticated. I plan on passing it on to my son some day, so it would a responsible action to take!
I became aware of Beckett Signature Review, just to get a feel for it and not blowing around $400+ on the process just yet and I sent them a few photos from different angles and got the response "Unable to render an opinion". I have no idea what this means, like is it a "We don't have time" or "We don't know"?

I've been googling up and down and to my eye it looks legit, and since it came from a trusted family member, I don't feel like I have further reasons to be suspect about it, but then again, I'm no pro and I could be wrong! But the fact that it's an in person signing, not from an official store, makes me wonder if it will ever pass an authentication!

What do you guys think? Does it look legit - and if so, would it make sense that I sent it in to Beckett or PSA, or should I just keep it as it is? (It is of course stored in a case , took it out for the pictures)

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mj.signed_1.jpg, 3.1 MB
mj.signed_2.jpg, 5 MB

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Permalink Reply by Steve Zarelli on March 25, 2022 at 7:17am

I was going to recommend Beckett, but it appears you already went that route. Unable to render opinion means they don't know based on the image provided. I suspect they would be very cautious and conservative with a Jordan signed card.

You could try PSA's online opinion service. They may require an auction... so you could list it on ebay and then do a PSA quick opinion on it.

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Permalink Reply by TB on March 25, 2022 at 9:55am

Thank you for your reply Steve,

Yeah, it looks like they only do "QuickOpinion" on eBay listings. I'm not too comfortable having to setup a listing (Why this setup? Weird) but that could be the path I need to go, if others doesn't have anything to contribute! If everything fails, I'm the undefeated champion in the "I'll do it tomorrow" category, so it's a good thing that I'm not in a rush! ;)

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Permalink Reply by Bryan on March 25, 2022 at 4:08pm

It looks pretty good to me

Although MJ is one of the most commonly forged sigs. It's not every day someone meets MJ with a basketball card and sharpie ready.

I think it has a chance. But the authentication fees are so high for MJ that will have to be your call.

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Permalink Reply by TB on March 25, 2022 at 6:54pm

Thank you for your opinion!

You don't walk around with these things, ready to whip out? Hah. Naw, I know if was at an event, summer camp maybe? Besides the event, I'm just guessing, I can't remember what she told me and it's killing me!

Since it's a 1of1 I've also had my issues deciding if it would be worth it in the long run. I can't price it, with or without authentication, that's one of the reasons my last attempt with PSA some years ago never went through, because they required an estimated value and I.. I don't know! That, and if they valued it higher after grading/auth, I would have to pay a heavy (yet unknown?) amount, in order to get my card back.. It's just difficult imo, or I'm overcomplicating things, both could be the case ;)

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Permalink Reply by TB on March 27, 2022 at 9:31am

Anyone else wanna chip in with their .50? Both with what they think of the auto, but also (if any experience) what would be the best way to approach the process, as I've never done it before!

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Permalink Reply by Doug S on March 27, 2022 at 12:17pm

The 97-98 Collectors Choice card certainly has a chance of being authentic. Even if authentic it will never be worth mega bucks like a piece of floor or special item from Upper Deck. Working with PSA at this point is terrible unless you know someone who deals with them regularly. It may cost more than it is worth to get full authentication. Some things are better left sentimental. I would display it with a big MJ photo and enjoy it all the time.

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Permalink Reply by TB on March 27, 2022 at 2:54pm

I definitely feel confident by now, that my aunt didn't dupe me! ;)

Yea, that's the thing, I've looked if others might have sold something similar and I've only found a few "comparable".
https://www.ebay.com/itm/393859857219 - That auto is 1 million percent fake (And I feel bad for the buyer)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/373911217621 - This is more up my alley, though the card on the listing is of course worth more than my simple base card. But the value difference is there!

My worst fear is that one day something happens to the card and the insurance won't cover anything because it's not authenticated.. So depending on what kind of cost I'm looking at, it could make sense for the just-in-case scenario.. But I still can't figure out how PSA/Beckett would value the card if/when authenticated, so I have no idea what kind of costs I'm looking at.

But yea, until I get it done, if a fire happens, the card gets rescued first, then the kids... then the dog and if there is time, wifey comes too! ;)