The standard #1 issue of LeBron James in Upper Deck's 2003-04 Rookie Exclusives set is a very nice rookie card, albeit quite common. (PSA has graded over 1,700 and NM-MT 8 examples have gone up from $50 to nearly $500 over the past six months. See Lot 467 for a BGS NM-MT+ 8.5 in this auction.) As with any modern rookie card, there are autographed versions, parallels or other varations with limited edition runs to spice up collectors' interests. But how often does one pull a LeBron Rookie Error? On top of that, what are the chances that error is a mix-up with the only player in basketball history that can be considered better than King James? We're talking, of course, about Mr. Air Jordan. Well, that's exactly what we have here. A baffling situation to say the least. But one that should make our consignor a pretty penny.
The front image looks just like it should: James skying for a tomahawk jam. The print on the front mistakingly reads "MICHAEL JORDAN" with his No. "23", Chicago Bulls team logo, and "G" position in shiny silver. The back is completely MJ: his picture, bio, career stats and his correct card number ("60") in this UD Rookie Exclusives set. So what happened? Our best guess is that since both players wear the same jersey number, this could have caused confusion in pre-press. Maybe an employee went rogue and decided to create their very own MJ/LBJ masterpiece. We contacted the head of product development at Upper Deck, but there was no explanation given or any documented knowledge of this error occurring. What this means is this card could be the only one of its kind, an incredible 1-of-1 LeBron James Error RC unifying the two greatest basketball players who ever lived.
Beckett has authenticated the card with the key mistakes noted on the holder: "Wrong Name on Front, Wrong Back-Michael Jordan." Unless an error card has been officially documented and registered as part of a checklist, it can only receive an "AUTHENTIC" slab. In our eyes, it appears EX-MT/NM with the only noticeable blemish being a jammed bottom right corner on the back. All other elements are in outstanding shape. Considering the heavy demand and soaring prices we've seen in the contemporary card market of late, there's no telling how the bidding might turn out here. All we know is whoever walks away with this gem will have something that any basketball fan or big-time card collector would die to get their hands on.