There was a time when Jose Canseco was the most destructive force in Major League Baseball. Actually, we can pinpoint it as being 1988. He was someone who gave pitchers nightmares both at the plate and on the basepaths.
The behemoth – he was 6'4″, 240 – was capable of launching pitches into the upper reaches of stadiums, and he could also turn on the speed and steal bases. He was an offensive force to be reckoned with … and he was only 23 in '88. Most pro athletes don't reach their full athletic potential until they are 27.
It looked like Canseco could re-write the game's record books. In '88, he was the first player to hit 40 home runs and also steal 40 bases in a single season. That didn't happen.
The mercurial superstar’s act began to wear thin on the A’s front office and they wound up making a seismic trade in ‘92 – sending him to the Texas Rangers. It was news that shook the baseball world since Canseco was a player in his prime and it was something that ran counter to traditional thinking.
After that, Canseco was never the same. Let’s put it this way … his top highlight after that was when he was playing the outfield for the Rangers, trying to track down a fly ball at the wall and it wound up bonking on his head and went over the fence for a home run. Talk about being hard-headed.
Things went largely downhill, though he did have some decent power numbers for a few seasons. The once-feared slugger had become one that feasted on pitcher’s mistakes, earning him the nickname “Jose Mistake-O.” He bounced from team to team and missed time due to his tearing a ligament pitching in a blowout loss.
Over the course of his career, he was serenaded by chants of “Steroids!” which were hurled at him due to his large size. At first, he laughed it off, but then he revealed later on that he did take steroids … and so did many of his contemporaries in the league. He even went so far as to write a tell-all book that had the not-so-subtle title of “Juiced.”
This made him a pariah, and the game has largely moved on without him. He has a social media presence, including over 500,000 followers on Twitter … which, while large, pales in comparison to David Ortiz, who has 1.5 million. So Canseco has a megaphone of sorts, but it is not that loud.
Despite his falling short of the 500-homer mark for his career and the whole steroid thing, there is still a market for Canseco cards for now. What can we say? Collectors are hard to predict as a whole and it is clear that they still have a soft spot for the former 40-40 man.
Over the course of his 17 years in the big leagues, he appeared on a lot of baseball cards. There are some that can be dismissed as being mere common ones that are worth pennies to maybe a few dollars. That is not our aim … we are going to look at some of the most expensive Jose Canseco baseball cards.
1984 Chong Modesto A's #5
This is a Minor League card from when Canseco played in Modesto, one of the A's affiliates. You can tell that it is not as professionally made, with the photo being a black-and-white one. The image is one of a serious person, he is not smiling at all – perhaps he is thinking of what playing in the Majors will be like.
Some people like to collect these cards, since they are both scarce and they show him at a time before he was a mega-star, well before he was going to be subject to the harsh glare of the media. They like the innocence represented in these cards.
The thing to be careful of with this card is that it has been counterfeited a lot, so when you buy it, you need to be sure to get a certificate of authenticity with it. Either that or you need to be absolutely certain that you are buying from a reputable source. Otherwise, you are running the risk of wasting your money.
1991 Donruss Elite #3
The thing that made this set so unusual was that it had serial numbers on the cards. That made it easier for the companies to keep track of how many were sold. This was a first, and it is something that card companies do all the time now.
This made it an intriguing card for many. Canseco was one of the game’s premier players and that made this something that people would want to get.
1986 Topps Traded #20T
While 1987 is the first regular Topps card that has Canseco on it, they did release an ‘86 set called Topps Traded, where certain rookies or people who were traded mid-season who were not able to be featured on the regular printing, are shown. Canseco was one of those that were added. So, technically, this is Canseco’s first Topps card.
It’s an average shot, with Canseco shown from the waist up resting a bat on his shoulder. Since he was the American League Rookie of the Year, this is a standout card for him. If you are a collector, this is a card worth looking for.
1991 Topps Desert Shield #700
This card was in a set that was created to send overseas to the troops that were stationed in Operation Desert Shield. This was an operation that was set in motion by the late President George H.W. Bush, not his son, George W. Bush. It must have been made to make them think of home.
Canseco is shown from a side angle swinging at a ball. These action shots, especially right when the bat meets the ball, show how precisely everything has to flow in order for the swing to get results. Since it is scarce, it is a popular card to shoot for.
1991 Topps Desert Shield #390
Topps clearly had the motto that having a Jose Canseco card in their Desert Shield set was so nice, they would do it twice. This one is of him being an All-Star and among the league leaders in runs batted in.
This was not unusual, Topps did always like having All-Star inserts in their packs. This was no different. While it is not among the Jose Canseco rookie cards, it may still be worth looking into by Canseco fans and those who like to complete sets.
1986 Donruss #39
OK, we must stop and gaze at this photo. Canseco clearly does not believe that he is posing for a baseball card. No… this is obviously a modeling headshot.
Look at him … he is clearly asking us with his eyes, “Am I not the most handsome baseball player on the planet? No one can compete with Jose!” He may have sent it to all the teen magazines.
But, there was one flaw in his plan here. It is the caterpillar that he let take up residence between the bottom of his nose and his upper lip. The mustache throws everything off.
Canseco would go on to shave the mustache off and be clean-shaven the rest of his career. Who knows what happened? Perhaps his teammates asked him if he intended to be an adult movie performer.
Whatever the case, if you wish to have the true Jose Canseco card experience, you need to have this card. Just don’t get it wet with your tears of laughter.
1987 Topps #620
People who collected baseball cards in 1987 will instantly recognize this Topps Canseco card. He’s looking out from the A’s dugout and taking in the game. Perhaps he was looking out at what his ‘88 season would be like.
Topps decided to go with a wooden-typed background and the names on the front are what we would likely call comic sans today. There’s a little trophy at the top that notes that he is a top rookie. The company printed a lot of them, so finding out these cards should not be too difficult.
1986 Fleer #649 Major League Prospects
People could describe this as a “Beauty and the Beast” card. It has a suave-looking Canseco on the right and a … not-so-suave-looking Eric Plunk on the left. Plunk looked like the stereotypical gawky goober from every 1980’s comedy.
Anyways, the card features two people who had 31 years of big-league experience in their careers, so they weren’t total washouts. It can go for up to $30 or more.
1986 Donn Jennings #14
Here we see Canseco in a Minor League uniform. He is not quite the hulking player that he was a few years later, but he is big. It was clear that he was going to fill out physically and be even stronger. He was one of the early waves of players that helped restore the Oakland A’s to a team that was respected and feared as they were en route to appearing in three straight World Series.
Canseco also clearly thinks he is suave, sporting a mustache that practically screams “Spanish Telenova.” It’s only fitting that his life wound up being like a soap opera in the not-so-distant future.
1983 Fritsch Madison Muskies #43
We’re taking a trip on a time machine here. This is an image of Canseco when he was 18. That math makes sense since he was 23 in 1988 and that is five years – we counted on our fingers.
Here we see him before the media swarms, the mammoth home runs, his telephone hotline where he tells you things like what he had for breakfast …. and his dalliance with Madonna. He’s a teen on the cusp of manhood and if you look at the picture, you can tell that he has no idea that he’s going to write a book in the future that changed an entire era of the game.
If you are a Canseco fan, this is a nice bit of history to have in your baseball card collection.
1986 Donruss Highlights #55
Canseco won the American League Rookie of the Year award in ‘86. Donruss decided to put their stamp on it by also declaring him their own Rookie of the Year winner. Hey, they agreed with the voters.
The card has an interesting design, though the photo itself is blander, with Canseco smiling at the camera while holding three bats. The pose is reminiscent of sluggers past, who hold multiple bats to show how strong they are, it seems.
1986 Donruss The Rookies #22
Donruss had a series where they highlighted the various rookies that had playing time that year. Canseco got his in 1986 and while it is not among the best Jose Canseco rookie cards, it is a nice one to have in your collection if you are a fan of his.
The card has a green background and the photo is an action shot of him tracking the ball and running toward first after hitting what looks like an opposite field hit. It’s got a nice sense of motion compared to other ones which are more of the posed variety. Whoever the designers at Donruss were at that time, they had a good eye for what made a good baseball card.
One thing to keep in mind is that these prices can go up and down. A card that is being quoted as being a certain price at one time might be at a much higher or lower point a few months later. That is because the baseball card market can change on a whim.
Another thing to think about is that, with online auction sites being as prevalent as they are, people can put these cards up for sale and not necessarily know their true value. That can wind up artificially raising or deflating the costs of them. So have that thought in the back of your mind when you are researching.
Be wary of scammers. There are those who like to prey on unsuspecting card collectors by selling them everything from a supposed error card to supposedly overpaying on a card and then wanting to have you send back the difference. While there are a lot of good people out there, there are also a lot of bad ones out there.
When looking back at Canseco's career, it is hard not to think of it being one of wasted potential. He missed time due to injuries, and his bat slowed down as he got older. While he was a very good player, those who saw him when he was younger thought he was on a path towards being one of the game's generational greats, up there with people like Mickey Mantle.
As far as Canseco’s chances of being enshrined in Cooperstown go, they look fairly bleak. His contemporaries from those times, like Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Roger Clemens, are all on the outside looking in. He didn’t help his chances with his lack of repentance about taking steroids, even going as far as to say that people could longer when taking them.
While there is still a healthy market for Canseco cards, how long will that be the case? As time goes by and newer superstars move to the forefront and their cards become the ones to get, will these cards go down? Barring a miracle Hall of Fame call, you might want to think about selling your valuable Jose Canseco cards sooner rather than later.
