Blue Jays Baseball Cards: A History of the Franchise on Cardboard
The Toronto Blue Jays Major League Baseball franchise joined the American League as an expansion team in 1977, becoming the first Canadian-based team in the league. Since their inaugural season, Blue Jays players have been featured on hundreds of baseball cards from the major card manufacturers like Topps, Fleer, and Donruss. This article will provide an in-depth look at the history of Blue Jays cards from 1977 to the present day, highlighting some of the most notable and valuable issues that any collector of the team would want to seek out.
1977-1979: Early Blue Jays Issues
Some of the earliest Blue Jays cards come from the team’s debut season in 1977. That year, Topps produced the franchise’s first baseball cards in their regular issue set. Rosters were still being built in those early years, so many of the players featured like Dave Lemanczyk, Doug Ault, and Tom Buskey were not long-term Blue Jays. Still, these initial issues help document the team’s beginning. Fleer also included Blue Jays in their 1977 set. The following two years brought more standard Blue Jays inclusions in the Topps and Fleer sets. Early rookie cards of future stars like Dave Stieb (1977 Topps) and Alfredo Griffin (1978 Topps) can be found from this period.
1980s: Rise of the Expos and Early Stars
The 1980s saw the Blue Jays begin to build competitive rosters. Their rise coincided with the card boom of the decade. The 1981 Donruss set featured the first Blue Jays cards from that manufacturer. Rookie cards of Dave Lemanczyk, Alfredo Griffin, and others appeared across sets that year. The powerful Blue Jays teams of 1985 and beyond produced many star cards, like rookie issues of Lloyd Moseby (1983 Donruss/Fleer), Jesse Barfield (1981 Donruss/Fleer), and Tony Fernandez (1981 Donruss/Fleer). Fernandez and Moseby in particular would become franchise icons. The 1987 Topps set included a very rare Fred McGriff rookie card, one of the key pieces to the Blue Jays’ success later that decade.
1990s: World Series Champions on Cardboard
The 1990s marked the most successful era in Blue Jays history. Their back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993 produced some of the most iconic and valuable modern Blue Jays cards. The rookie cards of World Series MVP Pat Borders (1988 Donruss), World Series hero Joe Carter (1981 Topps/Donruss), and Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar (1988 Donruss) from their championship years hold special significance. Ultra-rare parallel and autographed versions of these stars can sell for thousands. The 1991 Topps Traded Fred McGriff is also a highly sought card from this era. Beyond stars, commons from the championship sets themselves remain popular with collectors today.
2000s-Present: Stroman, Bichette, and Beyond
Entering the 21st century, the Blue Jays have continued to produce young stars and remain relevant on the baseball card market. Popular modern rookie cards include Vernon Wells (1999 Topps/Bowman), Roy Halladay (1998 Topps/Bowman), and Marcus Stroman (2012 Topps). Recent breakouts like Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Cavan Biggio have added new excitement. Parallel and autograph cards of these young core players can gain value quickly. Insert sets from the past two decades like Topps Chrome, Finest, and Topps Archives have also spotlighted Blue Jays history on modern cardboard. As the franchise looks ahead, today’s rookies may become the stars of tomorrow on baseball cards.
From those initial 1977 issues to modern parallels and autographs, Blue Jays baseball cards provide a colorful way for collectors to chronicle and celebrate the team’s history. Key rookie and star cards from their championship eras in the 1980s and 1990s remain highly sought. But affordable commons and prospects also allow today’s fans to collect pieces of the franchise’s past, present and future on cardboard.
