I previously wrote about borrowing the idea of a “wallet card” from another blog. The idea is to keep a card that makes me happy in my wallet where it will accrue “experience” (i.e. creases and dinged corners) as it shares my travels over the course of a year. What better way to start this off than with a group of cards that I would have traded anything for in third grade? For the remainder of 2021 I’ll be carrying around a selection of 1986 Jose Canseco rookie cards. Each of the major brands are represented, led by the ever popular Donruss Rated Rookie. There were probably more than a half million produced in ’86 and each copy was in demand as Canseco combined on field success with constant celebrity entertainment. This card eluded me for years, and while I didn’t obtain a copy until much later I definitely remember sporting a similar mustache in 8th grade.
Also making an appearance are cards from the Topps Traded and Fleer Update sets. The Topps card was the company’s only Canseco card that year outside of a special Tiffany edition and was only made available for sale as part of a complete set in hobby shops. Fleer had a more popular rookie in its regular set, though Canseco shares it with Erik Plunk. I’m not a fan of multi-player rookie cards, so Fleer Update will suffice.
I can’t wait to see how these will turn out after a year of commuting to work with me.
