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 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.

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.

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 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!

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.

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!

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. 

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. 

1988 Topps #325

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

I present to you another fantastic Bo Jackson card from the beautiful 1988 Topps football set. This card highlights Bo Jackson in action on the gridiron and on the back shows the Raiders statistical leaders from the 1987 season. I think it shows the star status of Bo that Topps featured him on the front of the card when he wasn't a leader in any category for his football team that year! Also, look at those game scores, the Raiders were pretty terrible in '87.

1988 Topps #327

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought at Show

This is the card that started it all! The iconic 1988 Topps football rookie card. Those stats from year 1 were pretty impressive based on the lack of time on the field. It just showed a glimpse of what was to come and what could have been had Bo chosen to play in the NFL fulltime. At this point we can only speculate what his career would have looked like had he followed that path. I really like the blue used on this Topps offering, it really helps the photos pop. In my opinion, this is one of the best looking football sets of the 80s. Fantastic card and a must have for any collector!

1991 Fleer All-Pro #10

Type: Insert Card

Acquired: Trade With Friend

This is one of my favorite 90's Bo Jackson football cards. I like the silvery colored border, the amazing font and word boxes, the dual photo front...I LOVE IT ALL! This also marks around the time where I was at my peak in card collecting and brands were just starting to dip their toes into the world of insert cards. It was such a thrill to pull one of these from a pack of FLEER! 

1991 Score #641

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Pulled From Pack

The artwork on this Team MVP card is fantastic! I like the illustration of Bo and the minimalistic background really helps to make the image pop! This card highlights the tandem of Marcus Allen & Bo Jackson, showing how they led the Raiders to the 5th best rushing offense in 1990. These feats helped earn Bo his first Pro-Bowl birth that year. I can only imagine how many more there could have been?

1991 Wild Card #108

Type: Base Card

Acquired: Bought Online

Wild Card was a pretty decent card manufacturer in the early 90's. They only lasted a few years, but they put out some nice looking cards. I like the action photo on the front of this Bo football card with the number border. The back has a shot of Bo looking fresh in those sweet shades and fair amount of stats. I never did get any of the numbered parallels of this card, but I'm sure I'll be hunting them down sometime soon!