While browsing the REA Marketplace, a $1,500 listing caught my eye: a BBCE-authenticated 1988 Fournier Estrellas NBA box of 20 factory sets. What looked like a simple international oddball turned into a fascinating rabbit hole.
The 33-card set, made in Spain, features top NBA stars like Jordan, Bird, Magic, and Ewing. It also includes Danny Manning’s first professional card and an early Muggsy Bogues.
The PSA Pop Report shows nearly 23,000 graded cards, including almost 15,000 PSA 10s. That tracks since these weren’t ripped from packs but came sealed and clean. So, while not rare in high grade, they’re affordable, fun, and sharp-looking.
Each factory set came cello-wrapped, with glossy borderless photos, rounded corners, and Spanish text on the card backs.
Why bother with a sealed set or a whole box of 20? The stickers. Beckett notes that the 10-sticker mini-set was randomly inserted into some of the sealed sets. They came in semi-transparent pouches, and it’s unlikely an opened set bought on eBay would include one unless it’s sealed. That said, a YouTube video shows two sealed sets being opened from a BBCE-authenticated box, and neither had a sticker pack.
While sealed sets are common on eBay, full 20-set boxes are not. I’ve seen just a few—one sold by REA (offered on Facebook a few months later), the one in the YouTube video, and this one on REA’s marketplace. It’s worth noting that the boxes have green Fournier stickers on one end (as you can see on the box top, there are other 1988 Founier set). Here’s an example of it from the Facebook listing:
Another oddity I can’t explain is related to factory set box grading. One Facebook user said PSA rejected their sealed set, even though PSA’s Pop Report lists nine graded “1988 Fournier Estrellas NBA Cello Packs.” I also spotted one GAI-wrapped example.
In short, this REA box reminded me that even a seemingly common ‘80s international issue can be full of surprises, from sticker hunts to authentication quirks. If you collect Jordans, oddballs, or just love digging into hobby corners, the 1988 Fournier Estrellas basketball card set is worth exploring.
Happy collecting!
Also, be sure to check out The Unopened Archive for more like this!
I’ve seen singles from this set… but never any factory sets. Had no idea the sticker sets existed either. Very cool.