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Specs
Year: 1989-90
Title: Equal Chicago Bulls
Size: 3’’ x 4-1/4″
Number in Set: 12
Overview
Equal Brand sweetener was the sponsor of this Chicago Bulls set. Approximately 10k were given away at the Bull’s April 17th home game, although additional sets reportedly made their way into the hobby.
The majority of the front of the card features a full-bleed player photograph save for a white stripe at the bottom that has their jersey number, name, height, and position, and a large Equal Sweetener logo. The backs are unnumbered and have a simple trademark tagline along the bottom.
I’ve seen several sealed sets that look like the following example, and they’ve been selling for anywhere between $30 and $75 (mid-2023 prices).
PSA has graded 130 cards across the set, but 79 are Michael Jordan’s, and 22 are Scottie Pippen’s cards. Goldin Auctions sold a PSA 8 graded Jordan for $168 in January 2023, and a PSA 10 Pippen sold for $265 when the hobby bubble grew in April 2021.
Example
I like that the Jordan card captured “Interlake” on the scoreboard; it reminds me of Jordan’s unlicensed regional “pre-rookie” card.
Key Card
The set features the first cards of B.J. Armstrong and Stacey King, but Michel Jordan is the set’s key card.
Checklist
B.J. Armstrong
Bill Cartwright
Charles Davis
Horace Grant
Craig Hodges
Michael Jordan
Stacey King
Ed Nealy
John Paxson
Will Perdue
Scottie Pippen
Jeff Sanders