The Five Essential Baseball Cards of Bo Jackson
Baseball has always had superstars, but Bo wasn't a superstar. Baseball has had hundreds of immortals, but check the Cooperstown plaque gallery and you'll see no hint of Bo. Where Bo resides is among a pantheon even more select and rare. He is one of the game's true superheroes, his peers having names like Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson, Mickey Mantle, Shohei Ohtani, and Aaron Judge. The superstars stretch the limits of what's possible. Superheroes, on the other hand, routinely do the impossible.
During Bo's reign atop the sporting world's Mount Olympus (SPOILER ALERT: He played football too!) was brief, he nonetheless was a fixture on the Beckett "hot lists" of his time and a player whose cards were among the most eagerly anticipated when new packs hit shelves every spring. Of course that was nearly 40 years ago, and the same could be said for half a dozen players whose cards today are all but forgotten. What separates Bo from the pack, no pun intended, is that his trading cards even now remain "cardboard treasures," if not icons, in the Hobby.
With more than 14,000 total cards across multiple sports, even hockey and tennis, it's no easy exercise to choose only five as essential. Still, here are five "must haves" for any Bo collector, and the good news is that all are quite affordable.
1990 Score Bo Jackson #697
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These days it's hard to imagine anything other than a rookie card being a set's hottest card. In the case of 1990 Score, however, their Bo Jackson black-and-white was not only THE card of the set, but easily the card of the year and possibly even decade. No, not all superheroes wear capes. Sometimes just pads and a bat will do.
1989 Score Football Supplemental Bo Jackson #384S
What may come as a surprise to the baseball-only crowd is that Bo's iconic 1990 Score card was not his first of the two-sport, shirtless variety. Score employed the same concept in its 1989 Football update set. Though this card remains under the radar to many collectors, one could argue that its purple borders and Raiders helmet logo make it even more awesome (check the card back!) than its 1990 sequel.
1987 Topps Bo Jackson #170
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With all the companies producing cards in 1987, many of them with more than one set, there is no shortage of Bo Jackson rookie cards out there. Still, a consensus pick among collectors is his Topps card. Whether it's the action pose, the wood grain, the rainbow "Future Stars" lettering, or simply that Topps has more or less been the "card of record" for 70+ years, this card is an absolute essential for any Bo collector.
2021-2022 Topps Project 70 Bo Jackson #206
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The sheer size of Topps Project 70 (935 cards), coupled with numerous artists who seemed to "mail it in" once the print runs softened, made this online-only release a flop in the eyes of most collectors. Still, that isn't too say that the set was without its gems. One artist who consistently produced across the entire set was Lauren Taylor. Though 14 other Project 70 artists released Bo cards following hers, the Lauren Taylor card was by far the most popular among collectors, with a print run roughly triple that of the nearest contender.
1991 Fleer Football Pro-Visions Bo Jackson #6
True, this article was supposed to be about the Five Essential Baseball Cards of Bo Jackson. Well, if such technical matters concern you, Bo has a Pro-Visions in the baseball set as well. But here's the thing about superheroes. Alternate identities go hand in hand with the job. Superman had Clark Kent, Spiderman had Peter Parker, and Baseball Cards Bo had Football Cards Bo. Plus, take a closer look at the moon. See, this was a baseball card all along!
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.