Michael Jordan, retired since 2003, holds more than a dozen NBA records. At the end of the May 7 Heritage Auctions three-day Spring Sports Collectible Auction, his rookie basketball card set a milestone of its own. Jordans 1986 Fleer debut, graded PSA Gem Mint 10, the highest rating possible, sold for $96,000. That nearly doubles the previous highwater mark for a PSA-graded Jordan rookie set only the week prior. Another Chicago sports star, at least until his fall from grace, also shined in Thursdays sale, a rare 1910 T210 Old Mill card featuring Shoeless Joe Jackson sold for $492,000, the top sale during a card auction that saw scores of cards soar in value. All told, the first nights sale brought in $8,025,974, which toppled the pre-sale estimate of $6 million. The card market, said Chris Ivy, Heritages director of Sports Auctions, is as hot as Ive ever seen it. That a Jordan rookie set a new PSA-graded record comes as no surprise to sports fans starved for action. In the absence of live action, Jordan has again dominated the hardwood and the nations TV screens as star of ESPNs 10-part documentary The Last Dance. The series, which recounts the Chicago Bulls final championship season of 1997-98, has served as conversation starter and controversy maker. Each episode contains a dozen revelations, and old stories have been made new headlines. It only follows that the Jordan items in the sale far outperformed expectations, beginning with, but not limited to, the Fleer rookie card. The far lesser-known 1985-86 Star Co. Jordan, part of a limited-run Chicago Bulls team set and graded BGS NM-MT+ 8.5, was estimated to sell for $8,000. Instead it sold for $15,199. And 36 unopened packs of 1986 PSA-Graded Fleer cards sold for $58,800 because three Jordan stickers could be seen through the wrapping. One of those Jordan 86 Fleer stickers, graded PSA Mint 9, sold separately for $4,920 later in the sale. It is anyones guess if any actual Jordan rookie cards are in the wax packs? It is safe to say that the market for Michael Jordan has never been better than it is now, and I dont think its going back, said Ivy. The Joe Jackson card predates his tenure as one of the Black Sox booted from pro ball for throwing the 1919 World series. Here, he was outfielder for the New Orleans Pelicans. This card, graded SGC VG+ 3.5, is one of the hobbys rarest finds, especially in good condition. What makes this offering even more exceptional is its backstory. This card has never before been to auction. Until now, it was in the possession of the heirs of the Raleigh, N.C., man who originally pulled it from a cigarette pack more than a century ago. This was a so-called lunch pail card, given that moniker because the man who brought them to Heritage Auctions discovered it, and about 700 other century-old rarities, in his fathers law office in 2009. The entire collection, which featured almost 600 T206 White Border tobacco cards and almost 90 T210 Old Mill cards, was stored in the container his father once used to take his lunch to work. Bidding continued well into the night for this special Shoeless Joe Jackson rookie card, stated Ivy. After 110 years in the same North Carolina family, we were glad to help find it a proud new owner. Another highlight was a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311, PSA NM-MT 8, selling for $360,000. Interestingly, it wasnt just older cards that carried the night. Some modern era cards went out of the park. A 2011 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Autograph Superfractor Francisco Lindor, 1/1 #BCAP-FL, PSA Mint 9, sold for $102,000. Thats five times its pre-auction estimate. And a 2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Autograph Superfractor Christian Yelich, 1/1 #BDPP78, PSA Mint 9, sold for $111,000. Thats more than twice its pre-action estimate of $50,000. To learn more, visit www.HA.com.