Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Says He Wishes He Collected 1986 Fleer Basketball Instead of 1986 Topps Baseball

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has revealed one of his biggest sports card collecting regrets: buying 1986 Topps Baseball instead of loading up on the 1986 Fleer Basketball set that contained Michael Jordan’s rookie card.

The comment came in response to a post from Retro Card Snaps asking collectors a simple question: “How fun would it be to go back in time and visit your first hobby shop?”

DeSantis knew exactly what he would change.

“I would load up on 1986 Fleer basketball instead of the loads of (overproduced, worthless) 1986 Topps baseball that I collected,” DeSantis wrote on X.

The 1986-87 Fleer Basketball set contains the Michael Jordan rookie card, one of the most recognizable basketball cards in the hobby. It also includes a Jordan rookie-year sticker.

DeSantis then followed up with another post reflecting on what unopened packs of the set originally cost and what could have happened if a collector simply left one sealed.

“Not only would you get change back from a dollar, but if one was smart enough to keep the pack sealed (and later got it graded) you’d have an asset worth a few grand,” DeSantis wrote.

His comments offer a familiar what-if for collectors who remember buying inexpensive packs decades ago without any idea what some of those cards and unopened products might eventually become.

The exchange started as a nostalgic question about returning to a collector’s first hobby shop, but DeSantis’ answer quickly turned into a lesson in hindsight.

A sealed wax box of 1986-87 Fleer Basketball cards signed by Michael Jordan recently sold for $900,100 on eBay.