Starting Lineup Stories: My 1st Unopened MJ

 

When I really started getting into collecting phase of Starting Lineups, one of my biggest regrets was remembering alllllllllll of the opened ones I had. It was bittersweet, because at the time, here were early issue figures of MJ, Pippen, Emmitt, Aikman, Nolan Ryan etc that were really valuable and popular at the time, and they were sitting on my self opened and worn out. The numbers were fading and the figures were in pretty bad shape due to me playing with them as a kid. It was definitely one of those "if I could turn back time" moments. My biggest regret was of course my opened 1991 MJ figure. Jordan didn't have too many figures because after 1993 Kenner never produced another figure of him again, and so at the time, the ones out there fetched good money. It was the one thing I felt missing from my collection. An unopened MJ. It was my SLU "White Whale" so to speak. I knew if I wanted one, I'd have to fork over some major cash. I didn't even care what year it was, I just wanted one for my collection. It would make my collection feel complete. Finally right before the New Year of 1999 I got my wish. I had some Christmas money and I figured you know what, it's time. The local Flea Market had a few shops that carried SLU's and they had good ones indeed. I would go every couple of weeks or so and marvel at the selection yet never buy anything....until this time, when I set my sights on this 

Here it is in allllllllll it's glory, the 91 SLU Dunking Pose version complete with the $50 price sticker.

It wasn't the one the I had opened as a kid, which was the shooting version, but I honestly liked this one better. I plunked down the 50 bucks and went home one happy kid. I officially added an MJ unopened SLU. Like all things MJ, it immediately became my favorite SLU in my collection.  Yet another SLU mission accomplished!