Essential Chipper Jones Baseball Cards
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Larry Wayne Jones, Jr. got the nickname "Chipper" by reminding his family of his dad and being a "chip off the old block". His dad was tough, demanding and instrumental in shaping the Hall of Famer we know today. One of the best third basemen of his generation, the MVP winner and World Series Champ was a mainstay in the Atlanta Braves machine of the 90s. Let's take a look at some of his cards that belong at the top of collectors' lists.
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BOWMAN 1991 CHIPPER JONES
One of the best known and most collected rookie cards of Jones, the 1991 Bowman stands out primarily due to the close up portraits as opposed to action photos. This card is relatively easy to find and is affordable in higher grades. Jones wouldn't make his major league debut for another couple of years but this card marks his entrance into the card world.
RELATED: Chipper Jones Rookie Card from 1991 Listed for $5,000
UPPER DECK SP 1993 CHIPPER JONES
In 1993, Upper Deck made the plunge into premium cards - and collectors are still chasing a subset of SP over 30 years later. Both Jones and Derek Jeter are included within the "Premier Prospects" subset and they are a hot item. High grades are notoriously hard to find - chipped corners and edges of the foil have been a well-known issue for years. One thing is for sure - they're good looking cards and have become iconic over the last decades.
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BOWMAN BUYBACK AUTOGRAPH 2017 CHIPPER JONES
Bringing things full circle, Bowman included 20 buyback Chipper Jones autographed rookie cards as part of its 70th anniversary. Serially numbered, these are naturally tough to locate but well worth the search - an on-card autographed rookie card doesn't come around every day.
TOPPS DESERT SHIELD 1991 CHIPPER JONES
Jones's Topps rookie card from 1991 has a couple of parallels and a cool story attached to it. There is a Tiffany version of the card that's fairly limited and then there's the Operation Desert Shield version, distributed at the time to the Military serving in Iraq and Kuwait. The gold stamp on the front is awesome and the fact that it's limited in number and hard to find in higher grades - can you imagine carrying one of these home in gem mint condition from the Middle East? - they are definitely a grail card for Jones collectors.
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.