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Havre man hits jackpot with sports trading card

A sports hobby has paid off for a Havre resident.

A pack of basketball trading cards Pat Jensen bought on Monday contained a certificate to redeem an extremely rare card - a dual card with pictures and autographs of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.

Jensen said he paid $6.25 for the pack of cards. Estimates of the card's worth range from $1,500 to $6,000.

Jensen, a co-owner of Nalivka's Original Pizza Kitchen, said he isn't sure what he'll do with the card once he receives it. That depends on the value.

"If I get the right amount of money I'll sell it, pay some bills off," Jensen said.

Bert Jager of BJ's Collectibles, where Jensen bought the card, said the card has the highest value of any he's sold since he opened the business seven years ago.

He sold one that was valued at about $700 a few years ago, but he said Jensen's card is worth much more.

The card was issued by Upper Deck and is part of its Glass series.

Jake Gonzales, public relations specialist for Upper Deck, said a nonautographed Upper Deck card with Bryant and Jordan was recently listed for about $1,000.

Only 10 of this particular autographed dual Jordan-Bryant card were printed.

Keith Hower, price guide editor of Beckett Basketball Card Monthly, said the card would probably sell for $3,000 to $6,000, depending on what the card looks like and where it's sold. There is an especially large demand in countries in Asia, he said.

Beckett usually doesn't give a price on cards with runs of 25 or less because there's no way to predict what the demand will be, he said. But popular cards with runs of 25 usually sell in a $1,000 to $2,500 range, and have sold for $5,000 or more.

The smaller run and popularity of Jordan and Bryant will definitely increase the value, he said.

"Something like that, with Jordan and Kobe on it, is always going to be in demand. Those are the two biggest guys in basketball," Hower said.

Jordan, a six-time world champion with the Chicago Bulls, is now a co-owner and player for the Washington Wizards. Los Angeles Laker Bryant is a three-time world champion.

Gonzales said the reason the redemption certificate was included in the set instead of the actual card

 

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