Jay Johnstone was a journeyman Major League Baseball outfielder and utility player from 1966 to 1985 who played for 10 different teams over his 20-year career. While never achieving superstar status himself, Johnstone, known by teammates and fans alike as “Johnstone the Entertainer” for his infectious sense of humor and love of practical jokes, was a beloved clubhouse presence on many contending teams in the 1970s and early 80s. Due to his long professional tenure which took him to both the American and National leagues, Johnstone has accumulated a wide array of baseball cards spanning many different seasons and brands. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most notable and collectible Jay Johnstone baseball cards that exist.

One of Johnstone’s earliest issued cards comes from his rookie season of 1966 with the California Angels. That year, he appeared in Topps’ flagship baseball card set, issued on sheets of wax paper inside wax paper wrappers. The 1966 Topps card #481 shows a side-profile action photo of Johnstone batting from the left side. With his signature bushy mustache and helmet slightly askew, the early 20-something Johnstone looks every bit the baby-faced rookie he was. Due to the immense popularity and widespread distribution of Topps sets during the 1960s, Johnstone’s ’66 rookie card can still be acquired for a reasonable price relative to other vintage cardboard from that era.

After being traded to the Chicago White Sox in 1968, Johnstone then received cards in both the 1969 Topps and Fleer sets. The ‘69 Topps issue #556 captures Johnstone fielding a ball in the outfield grass, while the accompanying Fleer card #337 shows him swatting at a pitch. As the 1960s drew to a close, Johnstone began to settle in as a valuable fourth outfielder/pinch hitter type for contending clubs such as the Oakland A’s and Los Angeles Dodgers. He appeared on the Dodgers’ roster for their 1974 and 1978 World Series championship teams. Naturally, Johnstone picked up several iconic Dodgers cards in the 1970s from Topps, the dominant baseball card publisher at the time.

Highlights from Johnstone’s Dodgers tenure include his cards in the 1974 (#471), 1975 (#493), 1976 (#587), 1977 (#540), 1978 (#551), and 1979 (#582) Topps series. Several of these, such as the ‘74 and especially ‘78 issues where the Dodgers won it all, feature colorful action shots of Johnstone that directly tie him to those storied Dodger clubs. Meanwhile, his 1975 Topps card is particularly notable because the reverse celebrates Johnstone being selected to the National League All-Star team that year, one of the few personal accomplishments highlighted on his baseball cards. Even late in his career with also-ran teams like the Chicago Cubs and New York Yankees, Johnstone still pulled cards in the 1981 and 1982 Topps sets respectively.

In addition to his widespread appearances in Topps’ standard yearly issues as mentioned above, Johnstone also received call-ups to some of Topps’ special subsets over the years that further expanded his collection of cards. In 1970, he was included in the “Super” collection which paid tribute to that season’s All-Star players and debuted a new embossed front design. Then in 1976, Johnstone made Topps’ “Slap Hitters” subset highlighting aggressive contact hitters. Two years later, he cracked the inaugural “Disco Demolition” promotion commemorating an infamous White Sox promotional night turned riot. Even into retirement, Johnstone had cameo inclusion in 1985’s “Traded” subset focused on that year’s big-name players dealt at the deadline.

Beyond Topps, Jay Johnstone also received cards from some of the smaller competing baseball card companies that rose and fell throughout the 1970s. In 1971 and 1972 respectively, he picked up cards in the Fleer (#484) and Donruss sets. Further, in 1974 alone Johnstone had cards in Series 1 of the upstart Bowman brand (#B70) as well as the Johnny’s Leisure Time issue. Speaking of oddball issues, Johnstone fans should be on the hunt for his scarce regional offerings like his unique 1972 card in the short-lived Mittendorf Ohio brand.

Thanks to his lengthy major league tenure jumping between notable franchises, Jay Johnstone amassed a vast collection of baseball cards spanning the better part of two decades from 1966 through 1985. While never a true superstar, Johnstone’s infectious clubhouse presence and contributions to championship Dodgers teams in the 1970s made him a familiar face on cardboard. From his earliest rookie cards to special subsets and later career appearances, dedicated collectors can track Johnstone’s journeyman path through some pretty iconic old school issues. Even after retirement, Jay Johnstone’s blend of on-field hustle and off-field hijinks continue to resonate with fans and make his diverse baseball cards a fun piece of sports history to track down.