Brooks Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles

[Chstrite]

Good Monday, everyone. Sorry for being a day late. I went on a small "vacation" over the weekend. So...this week I will discuss the 1973 PSA entries for Brooks Robinson. First, is the Brooks Johnny Pro Fielding and Batting "variations." These two cards are part of a Regional Orioles set (28 total). The fielding version is a PSA 6 with five graded higher. The Batting version is highest graded with 5 peers. Both are reasonbly priced. Next, is the 1973 Topps Pin Up test issue, which includes a number of HoF'ers in the 24 card set. This version is a PSA 8. This pin up is very expensive and not easy to find at this grade. There is 1 graded as a PSA 9 (I believe one of our members owns this one!). The Orioles Post Card of Brooks is not difficult to find. Finding this one in this condition without a signature was not so easy though. The one here is the highest graded (PSA 6). One of my favorite and most difficult cards to find is the next example...the 1973 Topps Comics (another test issue by Topps). This card is a PSA 6.5 and is very expensive and very hard to find. This set had 24 different cards with plenty of HoF'ers. There is one graded as a PSA 8. Finding this one proved very difficult. I am sure there are a few of you that have one but wow, this card is amazing. Next is the Topps Brooks and OPC Brooks. The Topps card is plentiful and very affordable at the PSA 9 grade...the PSA 10 has not proven easy to find (8 PSA 10s are out there!). The OPC version is a PSA 7 with one graded higher. The Orioles Team Card is a PSA 9 (5 PSA 10s exist) and the OPC Orioles Team is a PSA 7 with 12 graded higher. Finally, you see the Topps Candy Lids, which is not terribly difficult to find and another Topps "experiment." There were 55 lids in this set with 20 HoF'ers. This example is a PSA 5 with 7 graded higher. Accompanying the Lid is the proof, which PSA suprisingly graded (this is the only one graded...my gut says they will never grade another "proof"). Next week I will cover the 1974 PSA Brooks entries, which there are 11.

[ksfarmboy]

Love the Johnny Pros and just got both recently. Hate that those test issues don’t have the Oriole bird on the hats as they are great shots.

[BaltOrioles]

Originally Posted by Chstrite

Good Monday, everyone. Sorry for being a day late. I went on a small "vacation" over the weekend. So...this week I will discuss the 1973 PSA entries for Brooks Robinson.The Orioles Post Card of Brooks is not difficult to find. Finding this one in this condition without a signature was not so easy though. The one here is the highest graded (PSA 6).

Charlie,

More nice test items. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the postcard is not from 1973. PSA doesn't do a very good job with postcards. Just because a postcard is mailed in 1973, doesn't make it a 1973 issue. Yours is either a 1971 or 1972 (See post #2842).

Here's the Brooks Robinson team issued postcard from 1973/1974.

197374 Postcards 07 - Copy.jpg

[quitcrab]

I think its a 1971 postcard Charlie. Still a nice piece ! Scott

[Mark70Z]

Originally Posted by Chstrite

the 1973 Topps Pin Up test issue, which includes a number of HoF'ers in the 24 card set. This version is a PSA 8. This pin up is very expensive and not easy to find at this grade. There is 1 graded as a PSA 9 (I believe one of our members owns this one!).

One of my favorite and most difficult cards to find is the next example...the 1973 Topps Comics (another test issue by Topps). This card is a PSA 6.5 and is very expensive and very hard to find. This set had 24 different cards with plenty of HoF'ers. There is one graded as a PSA 8. Finding this one proved very difficult. I am sure there are a few of you that have one but wow, this card is amazing. Next is the Topps Brooks and OPC Brooks.

The Topps card is plentiful and very affordable at the PSA 9 grade...the PSA 10 has not proven easy to find (8 PSA 10s are out there!). The OPC version is a PSA 7 with one graded higher.

Finally, you see the Topps Candy Lids, which is not terribly difficult to find and another Topps "experiment." There were 55 lids in this set with 20 HoF'ers. This example is a PSA 5 with 7 graded higher. Accompanying the Lid is the proof, which PSA suprisingly graded (this is the only one graded...my gut says they will never grade another "proof").

There are several of my favorite Brooksie cards in ‘73. The pin up is one of them as I really like the photo used of Brooks holding multiple bats. Go ahead and send me your example Scott...

You have to love the comic; doesn’t get much better than that.

I go back and forth on a favorite regular issue card and the ‘73 Topps usually comes out on top. Simply the BEST Brooks picture used.

Maybe I can’t see it, but I don’t see a grade on the lid proof. I guess these get a lower grade due to the tab being bent.

[Chstrite]

Mark, graded authentic. Most proofs (if graded) get authentic.

[roarfrom34]

Most Orioles collectors are familiar with the Rochester Red Wings 1981 WTF card set primarily due to the inclusion of the Cal Ripken Jr. card.

However most collectors don't realize that one of the cards in this set has a tough variation.

From the web site Ripken in the Minors:

"When Steve Kozel received permission to print the 1981 WTF Rochester Red Wings set is came with a condition. The condition was that Steve would provide 3,000 cards of Doc Edwards for an Eastman Kodak Underprivileged Day during the 1981 season. The quote included a quote on the back from Edwards. In reality, Doc did not want to be bothered so the quote was attributed to him but chosen by Steve and then Co-General Manager Bill Terlecky. It was the first time the Kodak logo was ever put on a trading card and the people at Kodak were not happy. For whatever reason, possibly rain, the cards were never handed out. In March 2011 a copy surfaced at auction. Kevin Johnston of Clubhouse in Rochester sold the card. Kevin was Clubhouse Manager for the Wings in 1981 and had no clue how he received the card. The card was printed on the same sheets as the 1981 WTF set but has a picture cropped different from its WTF counterpart."

I was fortunate to acquire one of these cards from Kevin Johnston:

[BaltOrioles]

Originally Posted by roarfrom34

Most Orioles collectors are familiar with the Rochester Red Wings 1981 WTF card set primarily due to the inclusion of the Cal Ripken Jr. card.

However most collectors don't realize that one of the cards in this set has a tough variation.

From the web site Ripken in the Minors:

"When Steve Kozel received permission to print the 1981 WTF Rochester Red Wings set is came with a condition. The condition was that Steve would provide 3,000 cards of Doc Edwards for an Eastman Kodak Underprivileged Day during the 1981 season. The quote included a quote on the back from Edwards. In reality, Doc did not want to be bothered so the quote was attributed to him but chosen by Steve and then Co-General Manager Bill Terlecky. It was the first time the Kodak logo was ever put on a trading card and the people at Kodak were not happy. For whatever reason, possibly rain, the cards were never handed out. In March 2011 a copy surfaced at auction. Kevin Johnston of Clubhouse in Rochester sold the card. Kevin was Clubhouse Manager for the Wings in 1981 and had no clue how he received the card. The card was printed on the same sheets as the 1981 WTF set but has a picture cropped different from its WTF counterpart."

I was fortunate to acquire one of these cards from Kevin Johnston:

Bill,

Wow. I have never heard of or seen that card before. Thanks for adding another card to my wantlist..

I wonder how many are left? I would love to find one for my minor league collection. What do you guess for value?

[roarfrom34]

Originally Posted by BaltOrioles

Bill,

Wow. I have never heard of or seen that card before. Thanks for adding another card to my wantlist..

I wonder how many are left? I would love to find one for my minor league collection. What do you guess for value?

I was thumbing through some cards last night waiting for the Orioles to start and I ran across these & had forgotten I even had them...

Back 7-8 years ago I think I paid about $75 for it but I'm not positive (and I may have been given a price break since I had purchased quite a few items from him over the years).

[Chstrite]

Good Sunday. This week I will show you the 1974 entries to the Brooks PSA Master. The 1974 Laughlin All Star is graded as a PSA 9 with 2 PSA 10s out there. Next, is the Topps cards for Brooks in 1974. The regular card is a PSA 10, which is very rare at this grade and expensive. There are 3 other GEMs. The All Star Card with Boyer is a PSA 9 with over 70 peers and 7 GEMs. The Orioles team card at a PSA 9 was difficult to find and a little pricy. There are 3 PSA 10s. The 1974 OPC Brooks and All Star Cards were surprisingly hard to find at these grades. The PSA 6 OPC Brooks card has 10 graded higher. The OPC All Star card is a PSA 8 OC (I have another 8 OC I had graded). There are 3 graded higher. The 1974 Brooks single Stamp is a PSA 9 with 2 graded higher. The Stamp Panel is graded Authentic with only 2 graded with a number grade. Finally, the 1974 Deckle Edge gray and white back. The Gray Back is less rare and is graded as a PSA 8 with 14 peers and 11 graded higher. The rarer white back is tied as highest graded with 2 others. I had this card graded and it is very expensive. The proof is part of the set but does not count in the denominator. My Brooks collection took a turn this week. I completed the Master. It is 100% complete (272 out of 272 on hand; I have as many as 13 items to add). I did some research and found no complete masters with PSA for similar master sets such as Bench, Palmer, Gibson, Mays, Mantle, Clemente, or Aaron. See ya next week with 1975.