The Most Unique Cards on the List: Top 25 A's Cards List #10-6

After a few weeks of posting a new part to the list, we've officially reached the top 10 A's cards of my entire collection. These are the elite cards, ones that stood out to me and were on my mind before I even started this list. 

As each section of the list has had, this part has a theme which is pure uniqueness. There are only 2 Topps base cards in this segment and 1 is even a combo card. The rest of this part features slightly more unconventional but still wonderful cards of Athletics legends.

Here we go, cards 10-6 on the list.

#10 1976 Hostess All-Star Team #61 Bert Campaneris 

The #10 spot on this list is reserved for a player whose card truly is the definition of something unconventional and different. The Hostess cards have been one of my favorite parts of 70's baseball cards for quite some time now, but it's the 1976 set that, to me is far above the rest in terms of set quality and player choice. The red, white, and blue stripes at the bottom are the perfect size to include key information about Campy like his name, team name, and position. The rest of the card is reserved for the picture of him which is at the same level as the quality of the set design which helps create a balanced card. 1976 was the first year in which my dad didn't collect cards since 1968, so I don't have as many of these Hostess cards as I'd like. However, it just took 1 Campaneris card and that was enough for the #10 space on the list.

#9 2012 Topps Gypsy Queen #294 Reggie Jackson

The final Gypsy Queen card on this list is 1 of 2 Reggie Jackson cards that will be shown in this segment alone. And while his 2013 Gypsy Queen card was a close call, it was his 2012 card with my favorite A's jerseys of all-time that made it to the top of the list. Not only does the set look great, but it also seems like the gold design throughout the top and bottom of the card was meant to match the gold on the A's jersey perfectly and create a card that's on a completely different level than most other baseball cards. The nice action shot is the crowned jewel of this card that is not only #9 on my list but possibly the best card from 2012 Gypsy Queen.

#8 1969 Topps #556 A's Stars Bando/Campaneris/Cater

Topps' combo cards in their flagship set nowadays may not be very impressive, but back in the day, they were actually one of the high points of the set. This combo card features 2 A's players of whom you may have heard of before in Sal Bando and Bert Campaneris. Along with them is a player, Danny Cater, who you might not have heard of before. Regardless. this is a breath of fresh air from the standard 1 player card as it puts 3 talented A's players in their classic A's jerseys on 1 card. In addition to the players, the lack of color in the picture is offset by the bright yellow top and bottom of the card which matches the Oakland's yellow to a certain extent and is another bright spot (literally) on this already fabulous card.

#7 2003 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites #58 Vida Blue

Not only does this card feature one of my favorite Athletics of all-time in a fantastic bright jersey, but it also recreates the 1971 Topps set almost perfectly and with these 2 contributing factors, you get a magnificent card. Like I said, Topps did an excellent job recreating the set, but they also used newer photo techniques and quality to enhance the photo of Vida Blue and were able to pair it with a nice bright blue sky as the background which was another smart move by Topps. Finally, a small detail I admire is the All-Time Fan Favorites gold stamp in the top right. I'm a big fan of those types of stamps on cards so that along with all the other features helps create the only card from the 2000's to make the top 10.

#6 1975 Topps #300 Reggie Jackson

Unsurprisingly, cards 6-1 on my list are from th3 60's and 70's and I still be closing off this post with Reggie Jackson's recognizable 1975 Topps base card. Because I've already talked about 1975 Topps a lot, I've decided to stick to what makes this card unique. The blue and orange color combination is pretty nice and something I didn't think would work with the A's. However, the best part of this card by far is the primarily green jersey that Jackson has on which is fairly uncommon in Athletics cards. It's not the clearest photo, but details like that along with Reggie's sunglasses are key details that are hard to miss and help create another one of my personal favorite A's cards that barely fell short of the top 5.

Next time I post from this list it will be time for the final 5, cards 5-1. Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, and supported these posts since the start. I really enjoyed doing the list and posting about it, so if you have suggestions for another top 25 or more than 25 card list please let me know.