2001-02 MJ Comeback Auto Jersey /23 sells for $22K

2001-02 Upper Deck MJ's Comeback Commemorative Jersey Autographs #CCA1 Michael Jordan Signed Relic Card (#02/23) - PSA NM 7, PSA/DNA GEM MT 10 - Pop 1

Sold for: $22,082 Auction house: Goldin Sale date (UTC): 2026-06-07

For collectors who focus on Michael Jordan’s playing-days issues, the 2001-02 Upper Deck “MJ’s Comeback Commemorative” Jersey Autographs is a quietly important card. It combines three things that rarely intersect cleanly: game-used jersey, on-card autograph, and a hard cap of just 23 copies.

In this article, we’ll walk through what this specific card is, how the grading and population data shape its appeal, and how the $22,082 Goldin sale fits into the broader Jordan market.

Card breakdown: what exactly sold?

Card: 2001-02 Upper Deck MJ’s Comeback Commemorative Jersey Autographs
Card number: #CCA1
Player: Michael Jordan
Team shown: Washington Wizards
Type: Signed relic (jersey) insert, not a rookie card but a key premium MJ issue
Serial numbering: Hand-numbered 02/23 (23 total copies)
Autograph: On-card (signed directly on the card, not a sticker)

Grading:

• Card grade: PSA NM 7 (Near Mint)
• Autograph grade: PSA/DNA GEM MT 10 (perfect signature grade)
• Population: PSA pop 1 in this exact configuration (the only example graded PSA 7 with this cert pathway; the broader population for the card is also very small simply because only 23 exist).

This is a low-serial, on-card autograph relic from Jordan’s brief Wizards comeback window. It’s not just a Wizards novelty; it’s one of the more limited, autographed, game-used combinations tied directly to his return to the NBA.

Why this card matters to Jordan collectors

1. A focused snapshot of the comeback era

Jordan’s Wizards years don’t carry the same hobby weight as his Bulls championships, but they serve a specific niche:

• They capture Jordan’s final NBA seasons.
• They represent the bridging point between 90s “vintage/early modern” and the 2000s autograph-and-memorabilia boom.

For collectors building a full Jordan timeline, comeback-focused inserts and autos like this one are often used to “bookend” classic Bulls-era cards.

2. Scarcity: only 23 copies

A print run of 23 copies is directly tied to Jordan’s jersey number, and that keeps this card firmly in the “true scarce” category. Scarcity here comes from:

• The hard serial number (23 total).
• The fact that many copies are likely locked away in long-term collections.
• The added hurdle of finding one with a graded GEM MT 10 autograph.

In practical terms, this means very few public sales. When a copy surfaces at auction, it tends to attract attention from set collectors, MJ player collectors, and high-end autograph chasers.

3. On-card auto + game-used jersey

For newer collectors:

• On-card autograph means Jordan signed the card itself, not a separate sticker later attached to the card. Many collectors see on-card autos as more desirable and more personal.
• Relic card means the card contains a swatch of game-used jersey.

In the early 2000s, this kind of combination was still relatively controlled — there weren’t yet the huge volumes of autographed relics you see in ultra-modern products. As a result, premium MJ auto/relics from this era (Upper Deck, SP Game Used, UD Authentics, etc.) hold up well in terms of long-term interest.

4. Grading context: PSA 7 with a perfect auto

A PSA NM 7 card grade signals visible but modest wear (edge chipping, corner touches, or surface flaws). For ultra-scarce, game-used, on-card autos — especially from early 2000s stock — collectors often prioritize autograph strength and overall eye appeal over strict numerical grade.

The signature on this copy earned PSA/DNA GEM MT 10, meaning the autograph itself is considered flawless: bold, well-centered, and clean. For a card limited to 23 copies, a perfect auto grade is an important differentiator, especially if some other copies carry smudges, fading, or streaking.

The listing notes this as Pop 1, which refers to the PSA population report — the count of how many copies PSA has graded at a given grade. For a serial-numbered /23 card, even a pop report of a few total graded copies is already meaningful scarcity.

Market context: how does $22,082 fit in?

What we can say about comps

Because only 23 copies of this card exist, public “comps” — comparable sales data used to estimate value — are naturally thin. When you look at recent years of auction and major marketplace results for this specific card, appearances are rare.

Instead, most collectors trying to understand this result look at:

• Sales of other MJ on-card auto relics from the early 2000s, especially low-serial Upper Deck issues.
• Prices for similar comeback-era MJ autos with limited numbering (e.g., numbered to 25 or less).
• The broader trend in high-end MJ autos over the last 12–24 months.

Within that framework, a realized price of $22,082 on Goldin for a numbered /23 Jordan on-card autograph with game-used jersey and a GEM MT 10 auto grade fits into the higher end of the “serious collector” range, but not into the extreme record-breaking territory we see for MJ’s 1986 Fleer rookies, 90s grail inserts, or logoman-level 1/1s.

Relative positioning vs other MJ autos

Without overstating it, this card sits in a tier that many collectors would describe as:

• Above: standard modern sticker autos and higher-print-run memorabilia cards.
• Comparable to: other early 2000s, on-card, low-serial MJ autos with a defined story (comeback, milestones, or commemorative themes).
• Below: Jordan’s absolute top-end pieces, such as key 90s inserts, iconic rookie autos, or 1/1 logoman-style cards.

In other words, this card is a high-end, targeted niche piece that appeals strongly to a subset of MJ collectors who care about the narrative of his Wizards return as much as they care about scarcity and presentation.

Is $22,082 high, low, or typical?

Because reliable, frequent comps for this exact card are limited, it’s better to frame this sale in context rather than label it definitively high or low.

• For a /23 MJ on-card auto relic from a respected manufacturer like Upper Deck, this number is consistent with what many collectors would expect in today’s high-end Jordan market.
• The perfect PSA/DNA GEM MT 10 autograph and the pop 1 notation add a premium compared with raw (ungraded) or mixed-grade examples.
• Given broader hobby trends, where top-tier MJ pieces continue to attract steady demand even when the wider market cools, this sale fits a pattern: selective strength in truly scarce, on-card MJ autographs with a clear story.

Rather than seeing this as an outlier or a bargain, it reads more like a data point confirming ongoing depth of demand for scarce, playing-days MJ autos.

Collector takeaways

1. Low-serial MJ autos still command focused attention

One lesson from this sale is that tight serial numbering — 23 copies in this case — remains one of the most important drivers of interest for established legends like Jordan. When scarcity is genuine and the card checks core boxes (on-card auto, game-used, recognizable brand), the market tends to show up.

2. Comeback-era cards are a defined sub-collection

Jordan’s Wizards stint divides collectors:

• Some focus almost exclusively on Bulls-era and early-career pieces.
• Others build a full-career narrative and seek out key comeback-era cards as finishing pieces.

This card falls squarely into the second group. For those building an MJ career timeline, the 2001-02 Upper Deck MJ’s Comeback Commemorative auto/jersey is a clean way to represent his return without leaning on more common base or non-auto cards.

3. Grading strategy: card vs auto

This sale also highlights how collectors weigh card grades and autograph grades differently on scarce memorabilia cards:

• For a mass-produced base card, the jump from PSA 7 to PSA 9 or 10 often drives significant price differences.
• For a /23 game-used on-card auto, many collectors prioritize a strong signature and overall visual appeal over a higher numerical card grade.

Seeing a PSA NM 7 example reach $22,082 with a perfect PSA/DNA 10 autograph suggests that, in this niche, the autograph and scarcity can matter more than a technically higher card grade.

4. What this might mean for sellers and buyers

For sellers of similar cards:

• Expect serious interest when you have a combination of low serial numbering, on-card auto, and strong autograph grade.
• Thin comps mean that auction formats, like this Goldin sale, can be useful in letting the market discover a level.

For buyers or collectors watching from the sidelines:

• Use sales like this as context rather than as a strict target number. With so few copies in existence, the price can shift based on timing, exposure, and who happens to be bidding.
• If you collect Jordan’s career arc, it’s worth deciding how heavily you want to weigh his Wizards/comeback era. Cards like this are often the anchors for that segment of a collection.

Final thoughts

The 2001-02 Upper Deck MJ’s Comeback Commemorative Jersey Autographs #CCA1 Michael Jordan Signed Relic Card (#02/23) is a focused, story-rich piece of Jordan’s cardboard legacy. It’s not a rookie, not a 90s insert grail, and not a logoman — but it captures one of the last meaningful chapters of his on-court career, with a low print run, on-card signature, and game-used swatch.

The $22,082 sale at Goldin on 2026-06-07 (UTC) reinforces something the market has been signaling for years: when it comes to Michael Jordan, genuinely scarce, well-presented, playing-days autographs still have a dedicated and informed collector base behind them.

For figoca users tracking the high end of the MJ market, this result is a useful data point — not just for pricing, but for understanding how narrative, scarcity, and grading come together in a modern Jordan grail.