Shoeless Joe Jackson Baseball Cards
Shoeless Joe Jackson. Few players in the history of baseball possessed the raw talent and mystique of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox’ most famous member.
Jackson broke into the majors in 1908 with the Philadelphia Athletics. As a rookie, his teammates included Hall of Famers Eddie Collins, Jimmy Collins, Frank Baker, Eddie Plank and Chief Bender. Two years later Jackson joined Napoleon Lajoie, Elmer Flick Addie Joss & Cy Young on the Cleveland Naps.
In his first full season with Cleveland, all Jackson did was hit for a measly .408 batting average. After moving on to the White Sox in 1915, Jackson continued his torrid hitting until his banishment from baseball.
His last season in pro baseball (1920) was arguably his best as he drove in 121 runs with a stellar .382 BA. In the entire history of Major League Baseball, Jackson’s lifetime batting average of .356 trails only Ty Cobb and Rogers Hornsby.
When it comes to Shoeless Joe Jackson, all roads lead back to the 1919 Black Sox scandal. During the 1919 World Series, members of the 1919 White Sox conspired to throw the series to the Cincinnati Reds. Despite batting .375 and setting a World Series record for hits, Jackson was linked to the conspirators. Even though he was acquitted at trial in 1921, Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Landis banned Jackson from the Major Leagues for life.
To this day, Jackson is still ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame and has only achieved his posthumous redemption in the fictional movie Field of Dreams.
Shoeless Joe’s mystique also carries over to baseball card collecting. There were only 50 different cards issued of Jackson during his playing career; an extremely small amount for a player of his caliber and appeal. Many of his cards are iconic and significantly valuable. His rookie card, the 1909 E90-1 American Caramel, commands five figures even in low grade.
The 1910 T210 Old Mill Series 8 card of Jackson is one of the valuable cards in all of collecting. Featured on his Southern Association team in New Orleans, Jackson is pictured in a black and white photo with a simple red border. There is nothing simple about the value of the card, as low grade examples fetch in excess of $100,000.
Although not the most valuable, Shoeless Joe’s 1915 Cracker Jack card may be his most sought-after. The combination of the classic Cracker Jack design and Joe’s smooth follow through make this card a hobby treasure.
Cards manufactured during a player’s career are always worth significantly more than retrospective cards issued after their retirement.
However, Jackson’s popularity is so great that he’s the only player with a card produced 20 years AFTER he played that’s valued above $2,500. The 1940 Play Ball #225 is one the most expensive cards of the entire decade. The only other retrospective card that approaches the value of the 1940 Play Ball Jackson is the 1948 Leaf Babe Ruth. Good company indeed.
If you have any Shoeless Joe Jackson baseball cards (produced between 1909 and 1940) to sell or any items on our baseball buy list, PLEASE CONTACT Mark Rubin at 914-725-2225 or via email at mark@amerlegends.com. A quick phone call is all it takes to get started.
