Thanks to Bryan, the Canseco King. From out of the blue, he sent out 538 different Jose Canseco cards to my home, in binder and all. I don’t even know how to thank you (but I have an idea). First of all, if you don’t know Bryan, he goes by the name ‘whatthehellme’ at Wax Heaven but is more widely known as the “Canseco King” from having the #1 Jose Canseco collection in the world. You might have seen him in the pages of the baseball card Bible, Beckett Magazine, or through his DVD, featuring his most impressive Jose cards in his collection.

Below are just a tiny few scans of the cards he sent me. I have scanned them by era’s. The first is from Jose’s glory day’s in Oakland when he was the top player in the game. Out of all the A’s cards he sent, the 1983 Fritsch is my favorite since I have lost out on winning it in eBay auctions twice last year and is Jose’s first baseball card ever! I love the Upper Deck hologram, too.

The next set of cards comes from Jose’s days in Texas and Boston. Texas to me is a sensitive subject because it was officially the place where Jose went from superstar to laughing stock in two years to many sport fans and collectors. Of course, I still kept collecting even though I hated his Rangers and Red Sox colors. The Emotion card in the bottom scan is one of my all-time Jose cards with a Red Sox uniform but I had lost it in one of the year’s I was not collecting. Glad to see it back where it belongs.

Next comes Jose’s rejuvenation, AKA big-time Steroid years with Toronto and Tampa Bay. During these years Jose had a career-high in home runs and HR’s per at bat but by that time baseball fans were more interested in another Bash Brother. The Flair Showcase is a beauty!

Here is the finale and it ain’t pretty. Jose’s final years with the Rays, Yankees, & White Sox. The cards got a lot nicer but Jose looked tired, bloated, and ready for retirement. Sadly, at this stage Jose could still hit 35-40 home runs for any team but Bud Selig would not allow it and Jose played his last game in 2001, one season short of 500 home runs.

This now brings my Jose Canseco count to 960 different cards! I am 40 away from the immortal 1,000-count club. Bryan has also made it possible for something I had been planning for a while, ‘The Jose Canseco timeline’. It will basically be a year by year best-of from my entire Jose Canseco collection. Now that I have his first card, and his last during his playing days, the project can begin this weekend.

Thanks again, Bryan! You are one of a kind!