4 amazing baseball cards of Jose Canseco
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What a ride Jose Canseco took us all on during his storied career. He started off with a bang in the most literal sense - hitting home runs at a crazy pace, alongside his "Bash Brother", Mark McGwire. He was one of the hottest athletes of the mid-80's and his rookie cards reflected that. Canseco went on to have a long career in the MLB, playing for several different teams but struggled to recapture the magic from earlier. His well-documented link to steroids didn't help things and has been a major reason why the value of his cards has cooled off. He's still an iconic player and his cards still move at a healthy premium in gem-mint condition. Let's take a look.
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DONRUSS 1986 JOSE CANSECO
Easily one of the most iconic baseball cards of the 80's, Canseco's Donruss rookie received "Rated Rookie" status. The card is so immediately recognizable to so many and for good reason - during the mid 80's there was probably no hotter rookie card on the market. A gem-mint copy will run you between $500 and $600.
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TOPPS TRADED TIFFANY 1986 JOSE CANSECO
Canseco wasn't part of the regular 1986 Topps set, but Topps made up for it by including him in their Traded set, alongside other notable rookies like Bo Jackson and Barry Bonds. While the regular set was mass produced, the Tiffany version is thought to have been limited to around 5,000 sets. The premium card stock also makes this version this version the clear winner and is one of the more sought after Canseco rookies. A gem-mint copy will set you back around $1,000.
UPPER DECK SP SIGNATURE 1999 JOSE CANSECO
1999 was the first year that Canseco had official autograph cards as inserts within sets. One of the first was the Upper Deck SP Signature auto, with Canseco as a member of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. There was a gold parallel also available to chase and numbered to 50.
UPPER DECK MVP GAMED USED SOUVENIRS 2000 JOSE CANSECO
Canseco's first memorabilia cards were released in 2000. Upper Deck was once again one of the first with their MVP Game Used Souvenirs subset. A piece of game-used bat was included and there was an autographed parallel of the same card numbered to just 25.
Brian Hough became a fan of the hobby by opening packs of 1986 Donruss and 1987 Topps baseball with his dad and little brother. He has been writing about the collectibles industry for years, initially as a price guide editor for Tuff Stuff Magazine, which was a monthly sports magazine focused on sports cards and collectibles, particularly known for its price guides and checklists, that initially launched in April 1984.