2011/12 Fleer Retro Basketball – The Greatest Hobby Product Ever?

2011/12 Fleer Retro Basketball has absolutely without a doubt been on fire, rising in price like no other hobby product that has come before it. This has led us to wonder – does this price increase make Fleer Retro Basketball the greatest hobby product ever?

First off, Upper Deck loaded Retro Basketball with content that collectors love. One of the main content drivers has been the return of precious metal gems coming in red (numbered to 150), blue (numbered to 50), and green (numbered to 10). Cards from the original insert set in 1997/98  have pulled in ridiculous prices over the years, and the return version isn’t far behind. Look at some of these auction closing prices*:

Michael Jordan BLUE PMG #ed 23/50 – $20,000!!

Michael Jordan BLUE PMG – $7,999

Bill Russell GREEN PMG – $4,050

Michael Jordan RED PMG  – $3,232.23

LeBron James BLUE PMG – $3,050

Grant Hill GREEN PMG – $1350

Dennis Rodman GREEN PMG 1/10 – $1500

It doesn’t stop with the biggest names in the hobby either. All Precious Metal Gems are commanding serious high value prices. Some player collectors and rare insert chasers simply have to add these to their collection, and bidding wars and high buy it now’s have resulted from that!

The product also includes Michael Jordan 1 of 1 buy back autograph cards and the return of popular insert sets like Jambalaya, Autographics, Noyz Boyz and Ultra Stars just to name a few. There’s a ton of nostalgia to the product, but it has also rekindled the crazy, over the top, pay anything to get it player collectors and insert chasers. Insert cards haven’t had a run like this since the 90’s.

We’ve talked to collectors, dealers, and distributors about this product to ask if they’ve ever seen anything like it – a product that’s market value has increased around 400% in just over a week from release. Nobody had a definitive answer. Even when you talk about 2003/04 Upper Deck Exquisite Basketball, 2001 Bowman Chrome Baseball, or 2005/06 Upper Deck The Cup Hockey, these products may have jumped in price and had unbelievable demand but it looks to us like Retro Basketball has them all beat.

We’ve had to be very aggressive to go out and get more after we sold out last week. Because of this crazy demand and rise in price we’ll go out on a limb and say that from a price perspective 2011/12 Fleer Retro Basketball is the greatest hobby product ever.