Top 5 Cards; Bo Jackson

There's a reason to believe that there will never be another multi-sport player in the NFL or the MLB, let alone someone who will achieve the superstar status that Bo Jackson did during his 8-year Baseball career.

In addition to playing 2 wildly different positions (running back and left field), Bo played for the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Royals, teams that play over 1,000 miles away from one another. 

With that being said, Jackson defied all odds across his career and instantly became recognized as one of the most popular athletes of his time. With the exception of Falcons and Braves player Deion Sanders, there was no one else in sports quite like Bo Jackson. 

Although his commitment to Football and Baseball arguably shortened his career, Jackson is still recognized by Topps year after year in products like Allen & Ginter and Stadium Club. 

Thus, because of the availability of his cards today, I've been collecting Bo Jackson cards for a number of years now. Currently, my Jackson player collection sits at 89 total cards. By the end of the year, I'd like to see this player collection achieve gold tier status.

As is the case with most retired players, the cards I have of Bo Jackson can be split up into 2 groups; 1986-1995 and the cards from the 21st century. As you'll soon see, my 5 favorites feature a strong balance of cards from the 2 categories.

#5 1995 Upper Deck Collector's Choice Special Edition Silver

Jackson's first and only season with the then California Angels was also the last season of the 2-way star's career. After spending 5 years with the Royals followed by 2 seasons with the White Sox, Bo's final season saw him reach a career high in batting average at .279, but he was limited to just north of 200 at-bats.

I only have a small handful of cards featuring Bo Jackson on the Angels, and this card, in particular, is an interesting one. The Collector's Choice product always featured excellent images, but the silver border and fake signature are what really helps this card stick out.

#4 2016 Topps Gold Label Class 2

Have no fear, the rest of the cards on this list show Bo Jackson as a member of the Kansas City Royals. Although not every Bo Jackson card on the Royals features the powder blue jersey, it's a safe bet to assume that many of his modern cards include this iconic uniform.

Topps Gold Label wasn't content with merely having the powder blue uniform for Jackson's 2016 Class 2 card. This is especially apparent through the background picture which happens to feature Jackson blowing a bubble of gum while stepping up to the plate. Truth be told, you can't get much better than that.

#3 2010 Topps Tales of the Game

In addition to showcasing yet another marvelous powder blue jersey, Jackson's 2010 Topps Tale of the Game insert card includes some interesting information on the back of the card. In addition to being a feared slugger, Jackson possessed impressive defensive abilities as well.

During a July 11th, 1990 game against the Baltimore Orioles, Jackson climbed the outfield wall to make a sensational catch that was captured and printed as a part of this insert set 20 years later. 

As for the photograph, the actual image seems to be digitally enhanced just enough so that it matches the borders and style of this Tale of the Game insert card. I don't know how they found this photo, but it seems perfect for the set. 

#2 1986 Topps Traded

Both Jackson's 1987 Topps and his '86 Topps Traded cards rank as the most recognizable cards of Bo. His '87 Future Stars card is very representative of the 80s, but I have a few copies in my collection, so it's not quite as special as his '86 Topps Traded card.

Keeping consistent with the theme of most of Jackson's Royals' cards, there's plenty of blue on this one from 1986. The team name at the top, the background and the word "Royals" on his jersey all feature blue. 

A precursor into what we'd see from Bo Jackson cards for the next few decades, his '86 Topps Traded card is truly what started it all.

#1 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game Blue Parallel

Sometimes, there's no clearcut winner in mind while I'm planning to write a top 5 cards post. With that being said, the Bo Jackson list is most definitely not one of those times. Even before I thought about creating this post, I knew that this was my favorite Bo Jackson card.

The iconic powder blue uniform has made a triumphant return alongside a light blue parallel from the 2004 Fleer Greats of the Game set. I've had this card in my collection since this product's release along with a blue parallel of Steve Carlton who also happens to be wearing a powder blue jersey on his respective card.

Moreover, even the back of the card features a light shade of blue, for the card is serial numbered, 297/500, with a color that almost perfectly matches the light blue of Jackson's jersey. Another cool feature that isn't related to the color blue; the faded picture on the back of the card mirrors the front.

I still highly doubt that there will be another multi-sport star like Bo Jackson ever again, and even if there is, I doubt he'll have as cool of cards as Bo.