Shoeless Joe Jackson gets Bowman 1st Card
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With Bowman Chrome set to release on September 23, Topps released one last chase to the product on Wednesday. Within the release, collectors can go after "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's 1st Bowman Retrofractor.
The retrofractor is the first Topps card of one of the most legendary players in baseball. The retrofractors will serve as shortprints in the product and will have parallels from cards numbered to /50, /25, /5 and the elusive 1/1.
Jackson, who played from 1908 through 1920, was part of the Chicago "Black Sox" cheating scandal in which the team intentionally lost the 1919 World Series as part of a gambling scheme. As a result of that, Jackson was ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame until May of 2025 when MLB commissioner Rob Manfred reinstated the outfielder.
Jackson's new card is the latest in a list of innovative ideas from Topps in recent years to honor some of baseball's legends retroactively. Topps came up with the idea prior to the release of the 2023 Bowman Chrome product. That year, the company created retrofractors of Babe Ruth, Roberto Clemente, Johnny Bench and Carl Yastrzemski. The following year, Lou Gehrig, Pete Rose and Sandy Koufax had their own "1st Bowman" retrofractors.
While Bowman has always been synonymous with prospects and watching the next crop of superstars in the league from their professional debut, retrofractors gives collectors of all shapes and sizes a reason to rip the product and chase some of the already all-time greats.
Dan Gardella is a Red Sox fan and collector growing up in Yankee territory in Connecticut. While only reviving his love for the hobby a few years ago, he provides knowledge into baseball cards from prospects to the big leagues.
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