#260 Reggie Jackson - Oakland Athletics

Reginald Martinez Jackson
Oakland Athletics
Outfield

Bats:  Left  Throws:  Left  Height:  6'0"  Weight:  195
Born:  May 18, 1946, Abington, PA
Drafted:  Drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in the 1st round of the 1966 amateur draft, June 7, 1966
Major League Teams:  Kansas City Athletics 1967; Oakland Athletics 1968-1975; Baltimore Orioles 1976; New York Yankees 1977-1981; California Angels 1982-1986; Oakland Athletics 1987

World Series Appearances:  Oakland Athletics 1973, 1974; New York Yankees 1977, 1978, 1981
Hall of Fame Induction:  1993

One of the most prolific and clutch power hitters of his era, "Mr. October," Reggie Jackson, won three World Series rings with the Athletics and two more with the Yankees, while earning World Series MVP honors in both 1973 and 1977.  Jackson was a 14-time All-Star between 1969 and 1984, and was named the American League MVP in 1973 when he led the league in runs scored (99), home runs (32) and RBIs (117).  He led the Athletics to five straight West division pennants between 1971 and 1975, batting .310 and driving in six runs in the 1973 World Series to help defeat the Mets in seven games.  He signed a five-year deal with the Yankees following the 1976 season, powering that tumultuous team to the World Series in 1977 and 1978.  Jackson cemented his Mr. October nickname with three straight home runs in the series-clinching Game 6 of the 1977 World Series.

Jackson led the league in home runs four times, including one last time in 1982 when he hit 39 for the Angels.  He retired as a player following one last year in Oakland in 1987, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993 on his first ballot.  Jackson collected 2,584 hits, 563 home runs and 1,702 RBIs while batting .262 in 2,820 major league games.  He's the all-time major league strikeout leader with 2,597, and recently only Jim Thome came close to breaking that mark with 2,548.  The Yankees retired his #44 in 1993 and the Athletics followed by retiring his #9 in 2004.  Jackson is currently a special advisor to the Houston Astros, who defeated the Phillies in the 2022 World Series.

Building the Set / Card #31
December 3, 2022 from The Philly Show (America's Pastime - Fair Lawn, NJ)
At the outset of The Philly Show, more formally known as the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, we needed just four cards to complete our 1965 Topps set.  We arrived at the show in a steady rain right after doors opened at 9am, secured our autograph tickets and started walking the floor prior to the arrival of most of the crowd.  My goal for the show was simple:  Find those last four cards needed to complete our 1965 Topps set.  I wrote a full summary of the show in this post over at The Phillies Room.

The first two cards needed to complete our set took a while to find, but I eventually added the Orlando Cepeda and Gordy Coleman cards within the first hour of walking around.  With Cepeda and Coleman out of the way, I turned my attention to the Tony Perez rookie card and the BIG final card needed for our set - Mickey Mantle.  Perez came quickly, as I found a gorgeous version of the card for sale from dealer America's Pastime from Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  Again looking to bundle that card with another card needed for our 1969 Topps set, I set my sights on the Reggie Jackson rookie card.  What followed was my first of two successful negotiation sessions of the day, as I was able to add both cards for what I deemed to be extremely reasonable (and fair) price.  The Jackson card eventually found its way under the Christmas tree for our oldest son Doug.

The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +5

This is Jackson's iconic rookie card, and one of the most well-known and highly sought after cards in the 1969 Topps set.  The write-up on the back only hints at what would come in future years following Jackson's break-out 1968 season.  I tried to track the many, many times this card has been reprinted, starting with the 1989 Topps/LJN Baseball Talk product.  By my unofficial tally and through reviewing the images available in the Trading Card Database, this card, not counting parallel versions, has been reprinted 25 times.  The most recent reprint came as an oversized box loader in boxes of 2022 Topps Update.

Accuracy Index:  Jackson's card scores a solid 5, and I've read from several sources that Topps purchased the photo of the young star given the ongoing player boycott of Topps.  The Athletics moved from Kansas City to Oakland before the start of the 1968 season, so this photo was taken during spring training 1968 in the midst of the boycott.

Inserts:  Jackson is included as one of the 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set.

1969 Season
A budding star and the everyday right fielder for the Athletics, Jackson appeared in 152 games, batting .275 and leading the club with 47 home runs 118 RBIs.  His 47 home runs would be a career best.  He'd lead the league in runs (123), slugging percentage (.608) and strikeouts (142).  Jackson made the first of his 14 All-Star Game appearances, starting in center field and going 0 for 2 with a walk off National League starter Steve Carlton (#255).

1970 Topps #140

1973 Topps #255

1978 Topps #200

1984 Topps #100

1987 Topps Traded #52T

Other Notable Baseball Cards
First Mainstream Card:  1969 Topps #260
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (21):  1969-1987, 2001-2002
Most Recent Mainstream Card:  2022 Topps Update Legend Variation #US9
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards:  4,631 in the Beckett online database as of 1/15/23.

Sources:  
Baseball Reference / SABR / Wikipedia

National Baseball Hall of Fame
Beckett Database / The Trading Card Database

#259 Bill Short - Cincinnati Reds / #261 Bob Johnson - Atlanta Braves