Catch O’ the Bay: A Bird In The Hand

Trying to clear a few more drafts before a pretty massive State o’ the Blog post.

I netted another big name on the Astro-graphs checklist recently, thanks to the wonders of eBay and Topps penchant for re-using card designs.

Roberts’ 1966 Topps is his sunset card, and the only one featuring him in an Astros uniform.

I had picked up the 2001 Archives version of this card about a year ago, before I had really done much research on who had already passed from the all-time roster. I’d been hoping to send it to Roberts, before I learned of his passing in 2010 at the age of 83.

That said, I’m really happy with this Robin Roberts certified autograph from the 2001 Team Topps Legends Autographs. Even better was the fact that I got it off eBay for twenty-five bucks, shipped. I thought this was going to be a much harder autograph to track down.

The only other “card” featuring Roberts as an Astro during his playing days is a rare photo from the 1966 picture pack. Donruss made a few cards of him for the 2005 Signature set (including two autos), and that’s it as far as his Houston cards go.

If you recall the big vintage purchase which I made last summer, the folks I bought the cards from were actually family of Roberts, if memory serves me correctly. I should contact them once more.