Slipped Through the Cracks

As a guy who enjoys collecting hall of famers... I'm ashamed to admit this... but Frank Robinson never really popped up on my collecting radar.

1983 Topps #576

When I was a kid, he managed the San Francisco Giants, but somehow he slipped through the cracks.  Some might say it's because he was a manager, but as a kid, I was weirdly fascinated by skippers.  I enjoyed watching and collecting guys like Billy Martin, Sparky Anderson, Roger Craig, Earl Weaver, Whitey Hertzog, and Tommy Lasorda.

As a player, I may or may not have had the opportunity to see him play during the tail end of his career, but if I did, I don't remember it.  The majority of his all-star seasons took place before I was born.

However the same can be said for guys like Al Kaline, Lou Brock, Juan Marichal, Catfish Hunter, and Willie McCovey... yet I definitely have gone out of my way to purchase specific cards of each and every one of these guys.

I can't for the life of me figure out how I neglected to pay attention to such a legendary player.

Thankfully, I've been truly enjoying all of your blog tributes these past few days.  They've taught me a lot of interesting facts and shown me some truly great cards, which inspired me to dig and see which of his cards reside within my collection.  To my surprise, I had a lot more than expected.  However to keep this post a reasonable length, I'll show off my five favorites and some honorable mentions.

Without further ado...


#1:  1964 Topps Giants #29

I don't own a lot of vintage Frank Robinson cards, but I'm sure glad I have this one.  I've said it before and I'll say it again... this is one of my favorite vintage oddball sets.

This card highlights him winning the 1961 NL MVP Award.  I might not have known much about Robinson and his career, but I did know that he's the only player to own both NL and AL MVP Awards.

#2:  1963 Topps #3

This card isn't just one of my favorite Frank Robinson cards sitting within my collection, it's one of my favorite league leader cards as well.  How often do you see five hall of famers on a single card?

By the way, when he retired as a player, only three MLB players had hit more home runs during their careers:  Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, and Willie Mays.


#3:  1999 Century Legends Epic Signatures #FR

This is one of my all-time favorite autograph sets and I was very happy to see that Frank Robinson was part of the set I'm currently trying to build (even though I know it'll never be completed).  I really love how the blue Sharpie stand outs over the black and white photo of Tiger Stadium in the background.


#4:  1995 Upper Deck Autographs #AC3

C'mon.  What did you expect?  You know I enjoy collecting autographs.  Surprisingly I only own three Frank Robinson signatures.  Although he had a few other autographs before this particular card, this was the first released by one of the major card companies.

Back in 1995, Upper Deck inserted "trade cards" into their Series 2 packs which could be redeemed for an autograph.  If you're interested in seeing the rest of this set, click here.


#5:  2001 Donruss Classics Stadium Stars #SS-18

I have two other game used memorabilia cards, but this one is my favorite.  Unlike the Epic Signatures card featured above, I like how Donruss took the time to actually match the player with the stadium in the background of the card.  The piece of wood is supposedly a piece of a stadium seat from Baltimore's Memorial Stadium where Robinson played over 400 games at.

Robinson had a lot of success playing there.  He hit 104 home runs, while maintaining a .305 batting average and .569 slugging percentage.  The batting average and slugging percentage are Memorial Stadium records among batters with a minimum of 500 plate appearances.

I'll go ahead and wrap things up with some honorable mentions:

1962 Post #122


1962 Topps #54

1968 Atlantic Oil Play Ball Contest #5

1968 Topps #2

1968 Topps #4

1969 Topps #250

1970 Topps #700

1971 Topps #640

1974 Topps #55

1994 Nabisco All-Stars #NNO

1995 Topps Legends of the 60's Bronze Medallion #8

2004 Topps Clubhouse Collection #FR

2004 Topps #284

2006 SP Legendary Cuts Baseball Chronology Materials #BC-FR

Thanks again to all of you who posted Frank Robinson tributes recently.  It opened my eyes to just how significant his role was to the game we all love.  I can assure you that his cardboard will no longer fly under my radar nor will they slip through the cracks from this point moving forward.

And my thoughts go out to Mr. Robinson's friends and family.  Rest in peace.

Happy Tuesday and sayonara!