2009 Topps Magic #19

Type: Base Card
Acquired: Bought Online
I love this card! Again, we have another retro based set, but it works with the Auburn college vibes. The image on the front is classic and unique while the back of the card lacks a bit of what makes other cards great. It does however make up for this by giving us a fresh take on the card back by offering a trivia question, college info from Bo's career as a Tiger and a little map of where Auburn is located in the state of Alabama. Definitely something that I have never seen before on a Bo card! According to the instructions on the card, you are supposed to rub a coin on the bottom of the card to reveal the trivia answer, but I have no intention on doing so. Thanks to the modern convenience of Google, I was able to get an answer to the question of "Who are the only two Auburn players besides Bo (#34) to have their number retired?" The answer...1971 Heisman winner Pat Sullivan (#7) and All-American Terry Beasley (#88).

2010 Panini Threads #12

Type: Insert Card
Acquired: Bought Online
This card has a lot of empty space and I feel my gaze being drawn to it, which is a shame because it's a solid card. The re-use of the same photo on the back seems a bit lazy and the exclusion of any stats is always a negative for me. Not one of my favorite Bo cards, but also not one of the worst.

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes #209

Type: Base Card
Acquired: Bought Online
Here is yet another offering from the 2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes set from 2008. The design for card #209 is exactly the same as the design of card #208. This is expected with a typical card release, but the photos are very similar and almost look like they were taken just seconds apart. Very similar, but different enough to warrant a purchase. I don't say this often, but the back is where I found myself really liking this card. It talks about the Nike "Bo Knows" campaign and the time the Yankees drafted him in the second round MLB draft in 1982. As a NY Mets fan, I am glad he passed on the offer to play for the Yanks and instead chose to go to college at Auburn where he became a legend!

2008 Upper Deck Goudey #212

Type: Subset Card
Acquired: Bought Online
Here is another example of what an "Art Card" should look like. The image of Bo in his Kansas City Royals uniform is awesome and the graphics behind the portrait really don't take away or distract from the beautiful artwork. These cards were part of a subset in the 2008 Upper Deck Goudey set that featured commentary that allegedly came from The Captain himself, Mr. Derek Jeter. I honestly was expecting a little bit more of a personal commentary of each player on the back of these cards, but they just feature a generic write-up of some highlights that have been used many times before. A little disappointing, but still a nice looking card nonetheless.

2008 Upper Deck SP Rookie Football #405

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought At Card Shop

This card is one of my most recent Bo Jackson pick-ups. Myself and the family were vacationing in South Dakota and of course I had to check out the local comic and card shops. I found a few old packs of Topps Traded and of course some Bo Jackson cards. This card is one of my favorites from the 2000's. It features Bo in attack mode on the front and chillin' on the sidelines on the back. It contains Bo's career stats and a brief blurb about his playing career with the Raiders. The real standout on this card though, is the foil etching on the front. It is eye catching and really helps the image pop. Love this card!

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes #208

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This is another offering from the 2008 Upper Deck "Football Heroes" set, but this time we get to take a look at one of the base cards as opposed to the "Checklist" card I highlighted a few weeks back. The design takes us back to the early 90's Upper Deck Football card offerings and that's not a bad thing. Why tamper with a classic design. The photo on the front is solid and I appreciate the info about Bo's college career. A solid effort from Upper Deck all around.

Living Legend #14

Type: Oddball Card

Acquired: Bought at Show

Again, we have another one of these "Living Legend" oddball cards. As we've seen in the past, the quality of the card is lacking. The back has the generic Living Legends graphic, no color, no bonus photo and worst of all...no stats! That all can almost be overlooked due to the unique photo sported on the front of this card. The majority of these oddball cards have photos that have never been used before on them. You will never see this photo on a Topps, Upper Deck or Donruss card and that alone makes it worth the purchase!

2009 Topps Magic #AA3

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I really like the retro look of this offering from the Topps company. It really fits the vibe they were going for with this vintage style series. The photo of Bo in his Auburn college uniform and the orange & blue color graphics along with the thick almost cardboard stock the used for these cards all fit together nicely to give us Bo collectors a really unique and beautiful looking card. When I saw this online for less than $1, I had to add it to the Bo collection binder!

2008 Upper Deck Football Heroes #207

Type: Base Card
Acquired: Bought Online
There have been many "Art Cards" of Bo Jackson over the years. Some have been good and some not so good. This card falls into the excellent category. I know it's just a "Checklist" card, but the artwork on the front by Ken Joudrey is outstanding! Definitely one of the best looking renditions of Bo on canvas in my collection.

1995 Upper Deck #20

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This card shows off Bo Jackson during the twilight of his career on his last MLB stop as a member of the California Angels. He was only there for one season in 1994 and put up some decent numbers for a part time player with 13 home runs and 43 RBI. He even turned back the clock and stole a base! This offering from Upper Deck is pretty nice. I like the bronze colored foil on the front and the stats are decent, but it is once again, the photography that helps this card stand out in the binder.  The back shot is a nice candid of Bo covering the bases, but the front phot is easily my favorite. It looks like he just took a strike and he is informing the ump that the pitcher missed the strike zone by that much!

1993 Upper Deck #31

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

Not too much to say about this card. I got it for about a quarter online a few years ago and I do dig the artwork on the front of the card. The "Bionic Bo" moniker fits Mr. Jackson as this was around the time he was returning from hip replacement surgery. That photo on the back with Bo in glasses, smiling from the dugout would make a great base card by itself! Overall, not a bad card to add to the collection.

1992 Ballstreet Diamond Edition #D15

 
Type: Oddball Card
Acquired: Bought at Show

I think everyone had at least 1 Ballstreet card in their collection back in the 90's. Ballstreet was a fairly popular magazine/card price guide back in the 90's, in my circles not as popular as Beckett or Tuff Stuff, but still pretty popular. The thing that set it apart from the other mags was the inclusion of these foil stamped card sheets that were inserted in nearly every issue. Yes, Tuff Stuff had cards, but the didn't have foil! These card sheets featured some of the biggest names of the era which naturally included Bo Jackson. I remember me and my friends asking our art teacher to use her paper cutter to slice these cards for us. She did a pretty good job in doing so, much better than the shaky & twitchy hand of a 12 year old!

1991 Upper Deck #155

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Pulled From Pack

1991 was the premiere of Upper Deck's football card product and they did not disappoint! Upper Deck had a great reputation built on the success of their baseball cards and that carried over to the NFL when they released this set. The design is great and the photography is top notch. The inclusion of another full color photo on the back and full stats make this a fantastic card for any collector to have in their binder.

1991 Topps Traded #58T

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought At Show

This card is probably in my top 10 Bo Jackson cards. This was part of the traded series and reflects the addition of Bo to White Sox roster. He only played in 23 games for the White Sox in 1991, which was incredible due to the severity of his hip injury during the football season. He sat out the entire 1992 baseball season, but came back to play a big part on the Sox roster in 1993 that won the American League West title when he hit 16 home runs and added 45 RBIs.

1991 Topps Stadium Club #462

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Traded With Friend

Topps Stadium Club cards were the cream of the crop in the early 90's. Nothing could rival the UV coating, the premium card stock, foil stamping and high end photography. This card showcases what made these cards so desirable! The minimal graphics on the front don't detract from a solid action shot, the gold foil on the front is a nice touch and The Sporting News report on the back is an excellent addition. The only thing that I really didn't care for about these early Stadium Club cards was the inclusion of the "Rookie Card" shots on the back of the card. Did anyone actually like these?

1990 Topps #522

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I'm pretty sure that I have stated before about my liking this 1990 Topps design and here we have another example. The color scheme really stands out to me and the use of an in game action shot of Bo taking the ball down the field really helps this card standout in my opinion. I also like the previous season scores on the backs of these team cards. I still look at these and see who each team beat and by how much. I love me some Bo Jackson, but it still hurts to see that the Raiders beat my beloved NY Jets by a score of 14-7 in 1989!

1990 Bo 90 NO#

Type: Oddball Card

Acquired: Bought At Show

This card represents one of the first "Oddball" cards, maybe even THE first, that I ever purchased. Before buying this card, I thought Topps, Donruss, Fleer & Upper Deck were the only game in town. Man was I wrong! The 90's were an exceptionally lucrative time for the card collecting hobby and everyone wanted to take advantage and so many of these unlicensed cards flooded the market. Of course I didn't care if they were legit or not, as long as Bo was on the front of the card, you could take my money. This style of Bo card was not only used for baseball, but a few football cards were also created with the same look and style. I've posted some of these in the past and I'm sure I have more in my collection, so you will see more in the future!

1989 Topps #269

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought At Show

This is a fairly unimpressive card. The shot is okay on the front, but really has no action to it. Bo was known for breaking tackles and smashing opponents, this looks like a practice run before an actual game. The design is bland, but I do have to say that for some reason I do like the green & yellow color scheme on the back of the card. Not the worst Topps card ever made, but also not the most exciting either.

Living Legend #13

Type: Oddball Card

Acquired: Bought Online

Here is another one of those generic "Living Legend" cards, but hold up...that photo on the front is actually pretty AWESOME! Bo on the base path getting ready to snag another bag! Again, I am completely surprised by the choice of photo for this type of card, but also I am yawning at the extremely boring and repetitive back of the card. Still have no idea what year these were made as there is no year printed on the cards, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was the early 90's.

2011 Upper Deck #CO-3

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This card came in a lot of Bo cards that I bought off ebay. I really do like the looks of the front of the card. It is unique in it's style and font, but the back takes this one down a notch. The back photo of Bo had been used multiple times by Upper Deck, there are no stats and the graphics just don't pop. I am usually a sucker for any card of Bo in his Auburn uniform, but this one is low on my like list.

2005 Upper Deck Legends #74

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

A few weeks back I posted a similar card to the blog. That one had ornate shapes carved in each corner and was numbered 1 of 1. I still really have no solid leads on exactly where that card came from! Anyway, this card is the standard issue of that enigma. It is a nice looking card. The photo is nice, the borders are minimal, but still give it a solid look and the back has Bo's complete stats from his years as a baller with the Raiders.

1990 Topps #285

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought At Card Show

This was the very first Bo Jackson football card in my collection! I had quite a few Bo baseball cards in my collection by 1990, but no football cards. One fateful trip to a flea market in NJ changed all that. My Dad took us and we stopped at all the booths that were selling cards. My brother was collecting Ken Griffey Jr., but I was on the hunt for Bo. One of the tables we went to had a stack of his cards and my Dad gave me and my brother each $10. I bought a lot of cards that day including this first Bo Jackson football card and I can't get enough of the beautiful totally 90's graphics!

Living Legend #15

Type: Oddball

Acquired: Bought Online

Bo Jackson in flip top shades! Was there anything cooler than that in the early 90's? Besides the fantastic front photo, there really is not much else to say about this card. The back is bland and these "Living Legend" cards all use the same black & white image. I have a few more of these types of cards in my collection, so get ready for that!

1987 Topps #397 (Custom)

Type: Custom Card

Acquired: Bought Online

Here is another great looking custom card that I bought off ebay for a couple bucks. This card serves as a "What If...?" type of card. What if the Bucs didn't screw Bo over? What if he decided to play for the Buccaneers? What if Bo dedicated his career to football? These sadly are all questions that will never be answered, but what we do know is that Al Davis and the Raiders took a chance on Mr. Jackson in the 7th round of the 1987 NFL draft and it was one of the most electrifying careers in the history of the game!

1986 Topps #387 (Custom)

Type: Custom Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This card serves as a proper rookie card for Bo Jackson. You see, back in 1986 the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had the #1 pick in the NFL draft. They selected Bo Jackson with that #1 pick which was a no-brainer to any NFL fans at the time. Problem was that Bo told them not to pick him. He did not want to play for the Buccaneers after they took him on a trip to their team facilities. The team told Bo that the NCAA had approved the trip, but it turned out that they had never received approval and Bo was banned from finishing his final year of baseball for the Auburn Tigers. No wonder Bo refused to play for the Bucs! It was a wasted pick and the next year Bo was drafted by the Raiders and the rest is history!

2005 Topps Pristine #101

Type: Numbered Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

Here is another great looking card from the 2005 Topps Pristine set. Not sure why this one is numbered and the last one I posted was not? Anyway this card is 1 of 1999 produced and I absolutely love the image they used for the front of the card. I thought I had seen all of the card photos of Bo in his Auburn uniform, but this card proved me wrong. the great photo in addition to the retro, chromed out graphics really make for a nice card and a great addition to anyone's baseball card collection.

2005 Upper Deck NFL Legends Football #74

Type: Numbered Parallel

Acquired: Bought Online

This is another card that I have not found any info about online. It is a die-cut version of the 2005 Upper Deck NFL Legends Football Bo Jackson base card. It is labeled as "1/1" and I have been unable to find any other cards from this set that match this look. I am truly lost on this one, but I believe it was a home made variant. Any info regarding this card would really be appreciated! Besides the bewilderment, this is actually a nice looking card from front to back. 

2011 Press Pass Legends #PP-1

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I loved this card when I first saw it online. Two Auburn greats on one card? Yes, please! I was enthralled by the electrifying play of Cam Newton early in his career. Unfortunately that level of play did not last very long. He is still an NFL quarterback, but I don't believe he will ever reach those highs he had early in his career. I still dig this card due to the collegiate ties and no one can deny the type of player both of these amazing athletes were back when they were in school.

2005 Topps Pristine #21

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

This is another card from that early 2000's spending spree I was on. It is a very nice looking card. The chrome and the graphics on the front almost make me miss the fact that it has a pretty bland, white background. The retro looking backs are a nice touch and it has an overall nice design.

2005 Studio Portraits #SP-16

Type: Limited Numbered Set

Acquired: Bought Online

I bought this card when I was on a Bo Jackson online purchasing kick. I was buying every card I could find that was not already part of my collection and this was on of those cards. I think I paid around $5 for it. With only 40 of these cards produced, I think I got pretty lucky with that price. I have seen online that there are several color variations of this card and the one I received was the "Sepia" variant. It is a beautiful looking card and I am glad I was able to snag it for a decent price and add it to my collection.

1987 Topps Tiffany #170

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I never really knew about the Topps Tiffany sets until the late 90s. I never saw them anywhere for sale at shops or shows. Maybe I did, but just thought they were the typical base cards? Honestly, they are hard to spot unless you flip over the cards and see the whiter, brighter back sides. Unless you do that, you are likely to miss them. I bought this card online and it is now part of my 1987 Bo Jackson "Future Stars" collection of variants.

1986 Topps Traded #50T

Type: Rookie Card

Acquired: Bought Online?

I can't quite remember how I acquired this card, but it was always on my wish list when I was a kid. The only thing keeping me from getting it back then was the price. I did not get a huge allowance and any card over $5 had to be approved by my Dad. Every now and then he would chip in and get us a more expensive card if he knew it meant a lot to us, but he never did with this card. Not sure why? I do remember him springing for a 1991 Upper Deck Todd Van Poppel rookie card though. Wonder what he was thinking there?

1986 Donruss The Rookies #38

Type: Rookie Card

Acquired: Bought From A Friend

I got this card from a friend who was selling off a bunch of their collection. I had to purchase the whole set to get just this 1 card that I really wanted. I'm not complaining though, I also got Rookie Cards of Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla and Wally Joyner to name a few. Think I paid around $20 for the set and I was more than happy to do it!

1990 Score #10

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Trade With Friend

This 1990 Score set had some great subset cards of Bo Jackson. I've featured a few of them on this blog like the "Ground Force" & "Record Breakers" cards, but this is the base card from the set. The photo on the front is a little lack luster as it shows Bo either slipping on the turf or being tackled by a gaggle of Bengal defenders. I've noticed that a lot of Bo football cards from around this time feature him running against the Bengals. I wonder why that is? The photo on the back is fine, would have liked to see more stats/info instead of a large helmetless photo. Overall it's a pretty "Meh" card.

1989 ProSet #185

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Trade With Friend

I remember really liking this 1989 ProSet football card set when it was released back in the late 80s, but now not so much. The colors are kind of drab and the design is not very memorable. I do like the photography. ProSet usually has quality photography and this card showcases this. The stats are a highlight and the write-up is nice. The Raiders had some great talent on those late 80s teams with 3 Heisman Trophy winners on the roster. Along with Bo they also fielded Tim Brown & Marcus Allen!

1991 Score #100

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Pulled From Pack

The photo on the front of this card is solid. The graphics on the front are fine, but the back of this card is where it shines. I always like to see the "candid" photos of our favorite superstars captured on cardboard. Look at that million dollar smile. Pretty sure that's what he looks like right before he embarrassingly runs you over to score an 80 yard touchdown.