The Five Essential Cards of Jim Thorpe

Though he was born 138 years ago, Jim Thorpe remains on the short list when it comes to the world's great all-around athletes. In addition to multiple Olympic gold medals in Track and Field, the Native American Thorpe also played football, baseball, and basketball professionally. Finally, as the last of the five cards in this article will detail, Thorpe lays claim to one of the most improbable and bizarre feats in all of professional sports.

1916 Standard Biscuit Jim Thorpe

Treat this card as a stand-in for any of several 1910s baseball cards of Jim Thorpe. Though there are plenty to choose from, just be warned that none are easy or cheap. Hot tip to those collectors looking for the most bang for their buck: The 1913 Fatima New York Giants team card pairs Thorpe with legendary teammate Christy Mathewson and Hall of Fame manager John McGraw. It is also considered by some collectors to be Thorpe's rookie card.

1922 Zee-Nut Jim Thorpe

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Another tough but extremely cool Jim Thorpe card comes courtesy of the 1922 Zee-Nut Pacific Coast League set. Here, the great athlete is shown as a member of the Portland Beavers where he batted .308 in limited action. From at least a baseball perspective, the card might be considered a "career capper" as 1922 was Thorpe's last season playing organized baseball.

1933 Goudey Sport Kings Jim Thorpe

Thorpe's first card outside the sport of baseball comes from the star-studded, multi-sport 1933 Goudey release known as Sport Kings. Among the other highly coveted cards in the set are Ty Cobb, Red Grange, Bobby Jones, and TWO Babes: Babe Ruth and Babe Didrickson. The set is also known for the very first professional basketball cards, not to mention a very cute (and life-saving!) dog.

1955 Topps All-American Jim Thorpe

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Issued two years after Thorpe's death, the 1955 Topps All-American set is absolutely loaded with incredible cards featuring a who's who of college gridiron greats. The Thorpe card back describes the Carlisle Indian Industrial School halfback as "not only the greatest football player but the greatest athlete of all times!"

1974 Fleer Laughlin "Baseball's Wildest Days and Plays" Jim Thorpe

This fifth Thorpe Essential has two things going for it. One, it's by far the most affordable card of the five, generally attainable in decent shape for just a few bucks. Second, it depicts one of the most bizarre feats Thorpe or any other athlete ever accomplished. At least if the card is to be believed, the feat not only involved a three home run game from Thorpe but one in which he homered into three states!

According to the card, Thorpe's first homer landed in Oklahoma and his second landed in Arkansas while his third (of the inside-the-park variety, no less) remained in Texas. Okay, but did it really happen? As much as Jim himself used to enjoy telling the story, the Texarkana ballpark where the feat allegedly took place was a good 40 miles from the Oklahoma border. Still, as they say in the cowboy movies: "This is the west, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend!"