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.
![](https://cardboredom.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Wallet_Canseco_3Cards.jpg)
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.