The Baseball Cards You Didn't Know You Needed for Black History Month
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February is Black History Month, one of twelve months to celebrate the immeasurable contributions of Black Americans to our nation's rich history. Many baseball card collectors have already taken to posting their baseball cards of Jackie Robinson, Larry Doby, or Major League Baseball's other Barrier Breakers to social media while others have used the occasion of the month-long holiday to scroll eBay for the 1953 Topps Satchel Paige card that's topped their want list for ages. Interestingly, however, some of the greatest cards of Black History Month remain off the radar of most collectors and feature players unlikely to see their plaques in Cooperstown any time soon.
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1993 Pinnacle Idols - Delino DeShields
On the surface, this card from 1993 is a card of Montreal Expos infielder Delino DeShields. Still, far more of the card's real estate is dedicated to the ballplayer's idol, slain Civil Rights icon Malcolm X. When it comes to Black History Month, this card scores a ten out of ten, or in Roman numerals, an X out of X!
1992 Upper Deck Bloodlines - Gary and Dwight
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Keeping the Malcolm X theme going, how about this beauty from 1992 Upper Deck's Bloodlines featuring nephew-uncle combination Gary Sheffield and Dwight Gooden? For anyone wondering if Doc simply jumped on the Malcolm bandwagon following the box office success of the 1992 Spike Lee joint, the card's photo was taken nearly a year before the film's release. As for Sheff, does it get any better than his O.P.P. cap celebrating the 1991 Naughty by Nature hit single! While Gary and Dwight have not yet gotten their Call from the Hall, this is 100% some Hall of Fame cardboard.
2022 Topps Stadium Club Alex Kirilloff
Alex Kirilloff is unlikely the be the first name anyone comes up with when they think of Black History Month. Still, his Stadium Club cards from 2022 includes a nod to some all-too-recent Black History, the June 2020 murder of George Floyd. Just to the right of an outfield ad for Honey Nut Cheerios is the Minnesota Twins memorial to George Floyd, killed in Minneapolis the year before the July 7, 2021, photo was taken.
2020 Topps Now Baseball Unites
Less incidental to George Floyd's murder is the first card from the 2020 Topps Now set, which commemorated short-lived league-wide solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. The card front featured Aaron Judge of the Yankees and Michael Taylor of the Washington Nationals while the card back adds a kneeling Mookie Betts, Gape Kapler, and Mike Yastrzemski.
2002 Topps James Baldwin
If you presumed the first baseball card to reference GOAT-status Black author James Baldwin would be a card of Immaculate Grid legend James Baldwin, congratulations! A decade after the all-star pitcher's first card, his namesake author finally got a nod in the bio line.
1991 Leaf Studio Fred McGriff
The 1991 Leaf Studio set ranks among the Hobby's greatest when it comes to "meeting your heroes" and getting to know what they're like off the diamond. Kirk Gibson, for example, loves any music except rap, and Jesse Barfield collects spoons from around the world. More to the point, plenty of players cite Black History icons such as MLK, Jackie Robinson, and Malcolm X among their heroes, but with the Super Bowl right around the corner, how about the one player to name Doug Williams, the first Black quarterback to win it all! That would be Fred McGriff, who doubles down on good taste adding the Cobra, Dave Parker, to his list of heroes.
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.