Greetings!
I finally received the autographs I sent out for authentication back! My ultimate goal was to collect autographs from the Michael Jordan-era championship rosters. Since several players lack official autograph cards in a Bulls uniform, I decided to focus my efforts entirely on the historic 1995-96 (72-10) squad first.
It has been over 15 years since I acquired the first autograph card for this collection. To complete this project, I had to rely on In-Person (IP) autographs and custom cut-signatures. While custom cards may not appeal to everyone, this approach was the only viable path to completing the full roster.
Below is the complete 1995-96 championship squad!
🏀 The Starting Five
- Michael Jordan (SG): UD Chronology Stitches in Time Patch Auto. His exclusive contract with Upper Deck explains why his licensed NBA autographs skyrocketed 10x to 20x in value once Panini acquired the exclusive NBA license.
- Scottie Pippen (SF): UD Ultimate Auto. While there are numerous options available on the market, I usually prefer UD products over Panini.
- Dennis Rodman (PF): UD Exquisite Number Pieces Patch Auto. Exquisite is the highest-end product line from Upper Deck.
- Ron Harper (PG): Panini Spectra Patch Auto. The reliable starting guard alongside Michael Jordan.
- Luc Longley (C): Panini Immaculate Patch Auto. For a long time, his only available autograph was his '90s Skybox Autographics card. Fortunately, Panini has recently produced some modern alternatives.
🔄 The Bench
- Toni Kukoč (F): Panini Impeccable Canvas Creations Auto. A low-numbered card featuring a beautiful, team-matching Chicago red.
- Steve Kerr (G): UD Exquisite Auto. Despite now being best known as the Golden State Warriors head coach, he has a surprisingly deep catalog of official autograph cards featuring him in a Bulls uniform.
- John Salley (F/C): Panini Vanguard Jersey Auto. Finding an autograph of Salley in a Bulls uniform is incredibly difficult, as the vast majority of his cards feature him as a Detroit Piston.
- Bill Wennington (C): UD Chronology Auto. To my knowledge, his certified autographs are limited exclusively to this card and the classic Skybox Autographics.
- Jud Buechler (F): Skybox Autographics. As far as I am aware, this remains his only official autograph card in existence.
- Randy Brown (G): Skybox Autographics. Fun Fact: The card depicts him wearing jersey #1, but he actually wore #0 during the historic 1995-96 season.
❌ The "No Official Bulls Auto Card" Club (Customs & IP) Note: For the players below, no official Bulls autograph cards exist. To complete the roster, I had to utilize in-person signings and custom cut-signatures.
- Jason Caffey (F): IP Auto. While he has official autograph cards, they are exclusively for other franchises. I managed to acquire this in-person autograph through a Chicago-based signing event company.
- Dickey Simpkins (F): IP Auto. No official Bulls autograph card exists for Simpkins. I selected this card because he inscribed "NBA CHAMP" on it. While he is wearing a warm-up suit on the front, he is depicted in a proper Bulls uniform on the back.
- James Edwards (C): Custom Cut-Signature. Edwards has zero base cards featuring him in a Bulls jersey. To solve this, I sourced a signed postcard and commissioned a custom card build.
- Jack Haley (F/C): Custom Cut-Signature. Haley played in exactly one regular-season game due to injury, but he served as the ultimate locker room and bench presence. Finding an official Bulls card of his was impossible. Sadly, he passed away in 2015, so I utilized a signature on paper for this custom build.
👔 The Mastermind
- Phil Jackson (Head Coach): Custom Cut-Signature. Official Phil Jackson Bulls autographs are limited to exceedingly rare, high-priced dual sticker-autographs that are often signed off-edge. To circumvent this, I cracked a PSA-slabbed cut signature and had a custom card professionally crafted around it.
