Brooks Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles
 

Day 1 (January 1, 2020 - 001)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I’ve been inspired by some of the single player collector threads and have desired to start one in the past, but failed to do so mainly because I’m not the greatest with the computer thing and getting the pictures large enough to see has been an issue. Also, the organizational skills with collecting has been somewhat lacking. Anyway, I’m going to give it a shot and we’ll see what happens.

I recall Mike (docpatly) saying that it surprises him that there are not more threads like this, devoted to a single player, so let us give Brooks Robinson of the Baltimore Orioles a shot. I’m sure Brooksie doesn’t have as many followers/collectors as the great Roberto Clemente, but my desire would be to see “anything” related to Brooks or the Orioles; that would include any Baltimore teams (including old school Intl league for example), Playoffs vs. the O’s, World Series appearances with the O’s, etc. Would love to see some pre-war stuff posted. Hey, get creative and post away…

One of the other reasons for starting this thread is to commemorate the 1970 World Series (has it been 50 years?!?). I’m sure Mike (71buc) will follow this thread up in 2021 with a daily thread commemorating the ’71 Pirates.

I mainly collect Brooks Robinson playing day items, but also enjoy picking up Orioles memorabilia as well so I’ll scatter these type of items in the thread. I really didn’t have a lot of disposable income throughout the years, so most of my collection has been picked up slowly over time.

Why Brooks and the Orioles you may ask? I was born in Baltimore (Charm City) and lived on the outskirts and my father worked in the city. My dad was from NJ originally and was a Yankee fan growing up, but slowly and steadily over time, living in MD, became an Orioles fan and he particularly favored Brooks Robinson, the Orioles up and coming third baseman. My dad worked for a large transportation company which had season tickets so we went to Memorial Stadium often. Brooks became my favorite player and hero growing up. I emulated his playing style and “always” wanted to play third. My mom was a fan as well, and took me to the store to pick up cards; back then I wanted them all (football, basketball, hockey, but mainly baseball). Both my mom and dad have since passed away, but I have the memories of having wonderful parents who invested in their child and taught me about sports, but mainly life.

So, let us get this thing started with what Brooks does best...fielding. This is a color picture of Brooks, the greatest third baseman of all time, in action.

Attachment 378977

This color picture shown above was used for the cover of the magazine Baseball 1971 Yearbook. As a side note, growing up Johnny Bench was my favorite non-Oriole player. Again, I’m sure there are plenty of Bench fans to weigh in; I know David (jb67) has some very cool Bench items (I’m sure there are others). I have always enjoyed the defensive part of the game and he was the best catcher I’ve seen play. They shared the cover on a couple magazines back in the day and maybe we’ll see some more this coming year. The article in this magazine related to Brooks is entitled, “Brooks Robinson’s Greatest Decision”

Baseball 1971 Yearbook

Attachment 378978

Quote: "You know it's a crime for anybody to have as much fun as Robby's having . . . and making money for it." - Robin Roberts

Let's start with his rookie card. It was one of the final cards I grabbed to finish my set. Guess I was saving the best for last?

Attachment 378979

Met Brooksie at a show on Long Island a hundred years ago, and man what an incredibly nice guy!!!! Hearing him with that southern accent, talking to everybody in line, was quite a trip for us Noo Yawkizz. He earned a huge place in this baseball fan's heart that day!!!

Happy New Year to all. Can’t wait to see what this thread brings.
Brooks Robinson was the best third baseman to ever play the game and better yet an all time good guy ! Have you ever heard anyone say anything bad about Brooks???
I am sure his wife may have but that’s how it goes. Growing up in Baltimore he was every kid that played baseball favorite player.

Darren,

Might as well show his rookie card up front; such a great shot of young Brooks. Yours is in better shape than mine and I'm glad you added Koufax to the mix since the Orioles and the Dodgers are now are linked by the 1966 Series. Koufax was such a great pitcher and your card and Brooks' as well have nice registration which were tough on these cards.

1957 Topps #328

Attachment 378984

Brooks is such a great person; met him on several occasions over the years. So glad that he made a positive impression when you met him at a show. Maybe we'll discuss that more as the year progresses...

Brooks Robinson
 

Scott,

Looking forward to posting daily. We'll see if I can make it, with interesting items, till year end.

By the way you'll have to document one negative quote by his wife (Connie) for proof of your premise :D

i know he was my favorite growing up in Baltimore; that's for sure!

Brooks Robinson
 

Mark,

As an Orioles fan and collector, I'm excited to see what gets posted over course of the year. Brooks is a big part of my collection and I'll post items as I get a chance.

I grew up in Maine and at 6 years old I fell in love with the bird on the Orioles hat. That was the year Brooks was the AL MVP, so he became my favorite player. The first time I ever met him was at a card show in Portland Maine. By that time, I had three small boys of my own, but I was more excited than the boys.

I'll start my contributions to the thread by posting Brook's first minor league program from the York White Roses in 1955. Brooks was 18 years old and hit .331 in 95 games. I love Orioles history and it's a big part of my collection, although I only collect the O's from 1954 to present and don't do the minor league Orioles before that.

Mark, good luck and looking forward to following this year.

Alan,

Thank you so much for posting the York White Roses program. The early minor league programs are something I would love to add someday. I’m also looking forward to you adding not only Brooks items to the thread, but just great Orioles and Oriole related items that you have collected over the years. Also, you’ll have to post some pictures of your Orioles room this coming year.

This is a great thread I will look forward to following. Love hearing the personal stories surrounding the collecting of players. Always liked Brooks, but as a kid who lived in California in the early '70s, he was a foe for my beloved A's. But you just could not dislike the guy, and such an amazing player. I am originally from Arkansas, and live just east of there near Memphis, and he remains a popular collecting subject here as well due to his Arkansas roots I guess. Anyway, really looking to following along and seeing and learning with this thread.

Rob,

Hope you enjoy. The Oakland Athletics did really well in the early to mid 70’s when Brooks’ career was basically winding down. Those A’s teams had some great players and some unique personalities over the years. Who were your favorites?

I’m sure Brooks is still relatively popular in Arkansas since that’s where he was from originally. He probably isn’t as popular as he was during his playing days, but still is admired.

I'm a Yankees fan so I never liked the Orioles or Brooks. That changed when I met him at at card show in the late 1970's.

A classy guy who took time to talk with me!

Mike

Yes, the A's of '71 thru '76 after which they had pretty much been dissolved were to me as the Orioles were to you. Joe Rudi and Campy were my favorites. Rudi was a quiet, classy guy who was I believe an underrated player, and man Campy was a spark plug for that team. I loved Hunter, Bando, Tenace, Green,and Holtzman as well, and heck, there were so many others who contributed. Was never a big Reggie fan, obviously enjoyed his contributions, but not his demeanor, and still feel Campy should have won the MVP over Reggie in the '73 Series.

Yes, it is probably the older collector base which admired Brooks. I just checked our local shop, the only real shop in our entire region I think, and he has more Brooks cards than I ever remember him having. Guess sales are slowing. But threads like yours help keep the memories alive. I have a small collection of Brooks' cards, and hope to slowly acquire a few more as the years go on.

Mike,

Man, love your signed Brooks ‘70 Topps. That autograph is perfect. Thanks so much for posting it for all to see. So glad you had a positive experience when you met Brooks. I know the first time I met him I was really uneasy since he was my hero growing up; I was afraid of being disappointed. I’ve met him a number of times over the years and I was always treated like a long lost friend.

As a fan of the defensive part of baseball I thought Rudi’s catch in 1972 was one of the greatest outfielder catches. From what I can recall he hit well in clutch situation and did well overall especially in the postseason. He almost won a few MVP awards. I agree he was underrated. Would like to see you post your favorite Rudi card or if you collect memorabilia maybe a favorite A’s item.

I was definitely a fan of Campy. Man, he was a slick fielder and a very good base stealer. Loved getting his cards when I was growing up. Possibly post your favorite Campy item?

Did anyone like Reggie?!? Ha!

I collected with my late father for years and we would go to shows in Raleigh where they used to have great autograph guests. Brooks was probably the kindest, most engaging player we ever met.
Killebrew would be the only other one that I can think of that was so kind and patient. (My wife likes Spahn the best because he went on about how pretty she was haha)
Great thread.

Brooks was the first card show autograph I got too. Seems like he did a ton of them in the past.

Did seem like a good guy, but I imagine his auto is more plentiful than junk era wax :)

So glad to hear about positive experiences when meeting Brooks. I’m with you regarding Killebrew, at least in my experience, one of the great players and just a genuine nice guy. Spahn didn’t talk about what a fine looking fellow I was so he was just ok at signings ; )

Would really like to see any Brooks autograph if you still have any in your collection. Brooks would sign just about everything and has been doing so throughout the years so his auto is plentiful. NOW, the hard part is finding early autographed items. Have you ever seen a vintage single signed baseball of Brooks? That’s a needle in a haystack (at least to me it is).

Remember these '1972 In Action cards that never were' creations, where you provided me with one of the photos?

Attachment 379107

Attachment 379108

Attachment 379109

Of course I remember and they were "all" great looking and are well worth viewing "again". I think my favorite is the third picture the one that Brooks threw Lee May out in the first game of the 1970 World Series. Think the shots from the '70 Series all look so cool with the baseball bunting in the background. Wish Brooks had an in-action card in '72, but I'm sure yours still would have looked better than a Topps version.

Now, do "you" remember the Brooks variations you helped me with?!? Think it's so awesome how you put the pictures on top of one another and went back and forth so you could view the variances.!

I take my variations very seriously. :D

https://i.imgur.com/JwgSf7F.gif


This one is much more subtle, but it is cropped a tad bit differently (most notably where the brim touches/doesn't touch the border)...

https://i.imgur.com/EB9lX1w.gif

Look forward to following this thread. No doubt going to be a classic.

As a die-hard Reds fan this card always hurts just a little when I look at it. One of countless robberies committed during his playing days.

https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...oksie-robberry

I take my Brooks variations very seriously as well...(now that you told me they existed) :D

Where's the OTHER checklist variation? Forgot about that one?

Was adding it as you typed...

David,

I hope the thread will be interesting or at least entertaining.

I'm looking forward to seeing some Bench items (sorry about the B. Robinson commits robbery;)) as well as other Reds players, since they're are forever linked together due to the '70 Series. As I stated above Bench is my favorite non-Oriole player.

I am a fan of the defensive side of the game as well, and Rudi's catch is often seen alongside some of Brook's highlights among the great plays in WS history. I appreciate the suggestion to show some Rudi or Campy, but I don't want to take away from the topic of this thread. Plenty of Brooksie's out there to keep this going I bet. Did get me thinking though, I need to go take some pics of my A's collection. And, I do love that WS card shown above, big fan of the WS subsets (which I am working on completing) and that is a great one. Also love the '72 ALCS card featuring him.

Here is my earliest Bench card I have. I never thought I would end up find this one but I was able to land this a while back. Below is a little background info. on this rarity. Hopefully we can get some other Bench collectors posting as well. Always fun to share info. on our childhood heroes.

PSA Write-Up
1967 Cincinnati Reds Team Issue Postcard. This is the first card listed in the Bench Master Set. It offers a black-and-white shot of a young Bench with a facsimile autograph in blue and the team name in red below it. Hollinden believes these were sold at the stadium and at the local Reds gift shop. His PSA EX-MT 6 is the only graded example.

"I can't imagine there are a lot of these because Bench didn't get called up until the middle of the summer [August]," said Hollinden. "I'm not sure when they produced them, but I have to think that it wasn't until he came up.

https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...issue-pc-psa-1

Brooks Robinson
 

Day 2 (January 2, 2020 - 002)

I collect almost everything related to Brooks, but “try” (my best) to limit myself to playing day items. Also, I don’t collect things that are visually unappealing; there are a number of items in this category (do NOT mention his ’58 Topps card). There are exceptions, but most of the items I post will be from the playing day time frame (mid 50’s till late 70’s). I’ll try to post odd/unusual items, photos, and not seen every day type pieces to keep things hopefully interesting (unless I run out of stuff…).

Only have a couple pieces of artwork and this is a small painting of Brooks by Tom Clark. Clark is more known for being an American poet and biographer, but was an avid baseball fan and he did paint a tad as well.

Attachment 379166

This painting is pictured in Tom Clark’s book “Baseball” from 1976. The painting of Brooks pictured in the book is B&W, but as you can see it’s in vivid color in real life… If you don’t have a copy of the book it has some nice pictures of the paintings Clark conducted (including Brock, Clemente AND possibly some other ’71 Pirates players…).

Attachment 379167

Rob,

Really my “intent” of starting a Brooks and Orioles thread was to not only discuss and show the O’s stuff, but “anything related”. The O’s and the A’s are part of the battle in the AL and Rudi and Campy and the rest of the A’s were part of that history. Personally I’d very much enjoy seeing A’s items from that era as well.

David,

WOW! That is an awesome Bench piece. I may have mentioned it in the past, but I really like how the Reds team issues are set up. Thanks so much for posting the picture of Bench. “Almost” gets a person to be a Reds collector.

A few contributions...
 

While Clemente is "my favorite", I enjoy the passion, stories and collectibles of all player collectors! I am also a huge fan and follower of the "oddball" - thrill of the chase and all. I look forward to following the thread and contributing where I find something relevant. Attached today are a Japanese magazine, a 1968 Fresca Bottle cap, 1973 Topps Pinup and 1962 Venezuelan Topps card.

Brooks Robinson
 

Continuing on with Brooks minor league programs. After 1955 in York PA, he played part of two years for the San Antonio Missions in 1956/57, splitting time with the Orioles.

I just love those old minor league publications.

Brooks Robinson
 

Here's a team photo of the 1957 San Antonio Missions. Unfortunately, no Brooks Robinson. It must have been taken while Brooks was up with the Orioles.

Mark I am excited that you decided to start this thread. I really enjoyed Mike's daily Roberto post. I will look forward to looking at your posts daily as well. I too have met Brooks and can only echo the positive comments from others. He is the very definition of class. He is a true ambassador of the game. By the way, "I’m sure Mike (71buc) will follow this thread up in 2021 with a daily thread commemorating the ’71 Pirates." Thanks for the pressure of following your thread and its predecessor! Nonetheless, here is an original shot of Willie and Brooks at the 1971 series. I purchased it from the estate of the guy who designed those funky bullpen cars.

This came today as part of a $2 each lot. Nothing special but you don't usually get something this nice so cheap. At first it seemed almost pristine, but found a minor edge issue near one of the corners. Still probably a 6 and looks great:

https://i.imgur.com/HSQZwxi.png

Howard,

Thanks so much for posting the pictures of some Brooks toughies. I'm not sure if I've even seen a Brooks Fresca bottle cap. I have a few of the bottle caps, but they're all common. I'm looking forward to you doing a listing on all the varieties and sizes of these things. That would give me some motivation to organize and search. I really haven't actively searched in the past for the caps, but it might be a fun project. I'm sure you have quite a few Clemente caps.

Of course I'm with you on the "odd-ball" stuff; just love it. I also very much enjoy viewing others collections and especially the single player variety like the Lou Brock and Roberto Clemente threads. I'll keep going back to view all the cool items that were pictured.

Now please dig up your Series 3 baseball marbles w/packaging and post that sometime this year; deal? Also, see if you have an extra...:D

I still have the card somewhere tucked away (think it was a '77 topps). Will have to try and dig it up.

Should have had him sign an official ball instead, but I remember scrambling to come up with anything relevant once I saw him signing that day

Alan,

Man, I LOVE the minor league programs your posting. How difficult are the '55 White Roses and the '56 and '57 Missions. I'd love to add examples of those particular programs one day. Also, do you know if there are different varieties of programs from these years or are they all like the examples pictured?

Do you also have a '59 Mounties or is that a dump question :)

I know I've seen a team picture "somewhere" with Brooks included on the Missions. I know I don't have one, but at least there is one out there.

That is just a great color shot of Stargell and Brooks. I also think the old school bullpen cards with the hats on top were super cool. Looks neat pictured in the background prior to a '71 WS game. Can't get a much better picture than that one.

I thought you may just glance over the part about you starting a thread for next year, but you should; it'll be 50 years since the '71 Series for you next year. The pressure is on...

Looks GREAT to me! I think the All Star cards are all pretty neat items and you surely can't beat the price you paid. Thanks for posting Brooks' 1968 Topps All Star card.

One of my favorite Brooks items. It’s a 71-72 salesman sample jersey by Rawlings. Click on the picture and you should see the clear version.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...es/brobby1.jpg

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...res/brobby.jpg

Brooks Robinson
 

Mark,

I do have the 1959 Mounties program, which I'll save for tomorrow. There are actually three different colored covers.

The Mounties program will be the easiest to find, but the others do pop up every once in a while. They don't usually go for big bucks. I think most minor league stuff is overlooked by many collectors unless they're cards.

There are still a bunch of low level O's minor league affiliates that I'm finding impossible to find, but the hunt continues.

Brooks was probably pictured in the 1956 Missions team photo, but I don't have one in my collection

Brooks auto on a full size bat. Bought for around $40.00.

Duane,

That's a nice Brooks auto on that bat. The price was a bargain in my view. Thanks so much for posting the autographed bat.

Brooks Robinson
 

Day 3 (January 3, 2020 – 003)

I posted the Brooks and Orioles thread in the Forum – Postwar Baseball Card Forum, but I know the majority of the items I’ll be posting will probably not be his regular issue Topps cards; I hope there’s no offence (if there is blame it on the other player collectors; I just followed suit ;)). When collecting cards I’m not especially condition sensitive. I guess I’ve gotten pickier over the years (who started the off-center thing; didn’t even notice when I was young), but I don’t need a perfect card. Maybe someone on the site will show some high grade Brooks Robinson cards (that would be NICE). Personally I like a nice visually appealing card, but since I started collecting I have only submitted three cards which were progressive proofs, though BVG, since the other three proofs I acquired beforehand were already in BVG holders and thought it would make for a nice display. Any other card that I have entombed were purchased this way; so, I’m not shooting it out within the PSA registry (even though I thought about it a few times).

Below are 1972 Topps Brooks Robinson KP proofs; three of the proofs were my only submission. I believe there’s a couple more color progression proofs that I don’t have, but most, as you can see, are not very exciting.

1972 Topps KP proofs.

Attachment 379387
Attachment 379388
Attachment 379389

Clint,

Thanks so much for posting. I was looking forward to seeing something from your collection. Remember it's not just Brooks stuff, but Orioles in general...

I can't view the first pic of the back of the jersey, but the second pic worked. Looks like a very nice Brooks salesman sample. This is the earliest salesman sample that I have seen. Is there any way you can picture both of the tag up close?

Looking forward to seeing more of your collection.

Brooks Robinson
 

After a full season with the Orioles in 1958, Brooks made his final trip to the minor leagues as a member of the 1959 Vancouver Mounties. Here are the three variations of the 1959 Mounties program, that I am aware of, and the Mounties media guide.

Mark I’m out of town right now, I’ll try to get some up when I come back. I struggle like hell to get any decent sized photos on this site from my phone. So glad you started this thread. I’ll share more Brooks and Orioles items as the year goes on. Great stuff so far!

Mark was kind enough to encourage me to post something from Campy/Rudi/Swingin' A's after my response to his original post. The Orioles and A's hooked up in a couple of classic playoff series as Mark noted near the end of Brooks' career, as represented by one of the programs shown. I have several older, "nicer" Brooks cards, but I included the one below as it is simply one of my favorite cards ever. I love the earlier Kellogg's issues and other oddball, as noted by the inclusion of the Hostess with Campy, but Rose as well. And Rudi up against the wall, well, I just had to haha. Thanks to Mark for encouraging me to add something not completely O's based. Loving this thread and look forward to seeing more.

https://images34.fotki.com/v1212/pho...MG_1598-vi.jpghttps://images12.fotki.com/v1226/pho...MG_1597-vi.jpg
https://images14.fotki.com/v1665/pho...MG_1600-vi.jpg

Mark let me know if you can see this one it’s the front. https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...res/brobby.jpg

Alan,

Finally a program that I have at least seen before. Of course I didn’t know about the different colors on the program so it’s nice to see a scan of them. Now the media guide I didn’t even know the Mounties had one. Thanks so much for the willingness to post part of your great collection.

I’m with you I’ve been struggling posting pictures with my phone so I’m using a laptop to post pictures currently. Hey, let me know If the sizes I’m posting are ok. I was able to see the front of the SS Jersey, just not the back. Again, just when you have the time and are home, I’d really like to see the tagging up close and personal (you have the whole year to do it ;))

Rob,

This is exactly what I was taking about. I’m a baseball fan at heart and get enjoyment out of not only seeing others collections, but the memories that go along with it. I probably didn’t word it as well as I should have in my original post, but didn’t just desire to see Brooks and the Orioles, but pretty much anything related (like the A’s) and players of that era and teams they played, etc. I do appreciate you posting and I hope to see more. I’m a fan of the A’s players back in the day as well. That snow cone catch was AMAZING! Hey, as long as no one mentions the Ron Swoboda catch I think we’ll be alright.:D

Nice Kellogg’s and Hostess panel!

Mark your photos are perfect. Here’s the back hopefully.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albu...es/brobby1.jpg

Mark,

I’m just seeing this thread....WAY TO GO!!!

I was just thinking about reviving the Roberto thread with some newer purchases. Looking forward to seeing some Brooks items. I’m sure there’s going to be some incredible pieces.

Mike,

Your Clemente thread is one of the main reasons for starting one. I enjoyed the daily view of the tremendous Roberto items that were posted by yourself and others. Just so you know you have a few things related to Brooks that you’ll “need” to post this year. Also, a few things Clemente wouldn’t hurt either. They are forever linked by the ‘71 Series so it all relates.

Hey, would love to view your continued pickups on the Clemente thread.

Mark,

Great thread. Thanks for the kind comments regarding my signed bat. It was a steal for $40.00. I will add some T206 Baltimore players by showing a tough common, Doc Adkins. The first is an SGC 30

This one is a PSA 1.5

Clint,

Maybe one day I’ll see the back of the jersey :D

Duane,

My personal collecting has always revolved around Baltimore teams, Colts, Bullets, and Orioles probably because of my Baltimore roots. I don’t have much of those type items anymore, but if I had more disposable income I’d likely at least dabble into prewar. Has always been intriguing and would like some day to have some early O’s items. My focus ultimately became Brooks and displayable O’s items and it definitely stuck. Brooks was my hero growing up and just enjoy collecting items related to his career. Thank you sooo much for posting the vey COOL Baltimore T206.

Mark I can answer the thought of how popular Brooks still is in Arkansas. He is held in high reverence. I am a very proud member of the Brooks Robinson-George Kell Chapter of SABR.

Brooks was not just a great baseball player out of Little Rock Central High School but also a great basketball star and he played football early on. Brooks used to attend events in the state on a regular basis but his traveling days are limited from what I hear these days.

I never missed a chance to see him in person though I never saw him play.

I was thinking it would be nice for someone to try to contact Brooks and let him know about this thread Mark has started . Not sure if he would have interest or follow along but it would be nice to share it with him.

Brooks Robinson
 

Day 4 (January 4, 2020 – 004)

The 1962 Orioles Salada-Junket shield with coins. The coins were available in Salada Tea and Junket Dessert products. I think in order to get the plastic shields you had to send away for them and once received you could display your team’s coins within the shield. Pretty neat item.

1962 Orioles Salada shield with coins included.

Attachment 379492

1962 Salada coin #40

Attachment 379493

Attachment 379494

Mike,

Thanks so much for the insight concerning Arkansas and the general feeling towards Brooks still to this day. Can you elaborate on what the Brooks Robinson George Kell Chapter of SABR is all about? Would enjoy hearing what that entails.

On Day 1 I mentioned a magazine, Baseball 1971 Yearbook, with the article entitled, “Brooks Robinson’s Greatest Decision” which discusses a tough decision ultimately not to continue playing football which Brooks, along with his family, decide for him to pursue baseball. If I can recall correctly the article is taken out of the Jack Zanger book The Brooks Robinson Story.

Sorry you didn't get the chance to see Brooks play, but he's just as great of a person as he was as a player; he was the best defender, at any position, in baseball.

Brooks Robinson
 

Scott,

Would be cool. Of course if he'd ever followed along I'd have to get someone else to start writing the commentary, instead of a hack like myself. Also, someone with skills at the computer thing to post uniform, non-blurry, proper sized scans of Brooks items. So, basically, in a nutshell, someone else start a NEW thread on Brooks and the Orioles for Brooks to follow...:D

Mark,

Nice looking shield. They are hard to find in nice shape. Mine has a small crack along one corner.

The 1962 Salada set is very interesting. It was originally issued as 180 coins (1-180) and the backs are different from the 200 coin back in your scan. With the NL expansion in 1962, Salada added coins of the new teams and added/subtracted some players from other teams (181-221). Additionally, a bunch of variations were created because of trades, etc. I have found the 180 backs much harder to find.

What does this all mean for Orioles collectors. The original 180 set has 10 coins per team. The Orioles set includes Steve Barber (P), Jim Busby(OF), Ron Hansen (SS) and Marv Breeding (2B). The second printing replaced these coins with Russ Snyder (OF), Chuck Estrada (P), and Marv Breeding (SS). Johnny Temple (2B) was a Cleveland Indian in the original set and added as an Oriole for the second printing. Gentile, B.Robinson, Triandos, Pappas, Williams and Brandt were issued with both printings. Mark's shield has coins from the second printing. Two of the holy grails for Salada collectors are also Orioles, the Dick Williams (Name on right side) and the Jackie Brandt (Orioles instead of the common Oriole version).

One common problem with 1962 Salada coins is the ease in switching the paper insert from one coin to another. All of the Orioles were issued in orange, so any Oriole in another color has been swapped out.

There is also a Canadian version of coins issued by Shirriff Potato Chips. I don't have access to my coins currently. Maybe someone can post a back for everyone to see. The Orioles in the Shirriff set are the same as the second printing. So if you see a Steve Barber or Jim Busby Shirriff coin listed, it was swapped out. They were not issued with the Shirriff set.

Hope I haven't been too long winded, but this is a fascinating set for any type collector.

Brooks Robinson
 

Another area of collecting I love are the team issued postcards the Orioles have been printing since 1954. It is often hard to pinpoint an exact year for some of the older postcards, because the Orioles would print them as needed. Some players weren't printed each year if there were enough left over from the previous season. The Orioles postcards are B&W from 1954-1969 and are in color from 1970 to present, with a few exceptions. Players often used these for autograph requests through the mail, so finding ones that have been mailed are quite common. The more popular a player with fans, the more postcards printed and thus easier to find. Fringe players or players traded during the season tend to be much tougher and on everyone's wantlists.

The first postcards printed of Brooks Robinson were from 1957-59. I just love the team issued stuff.

Brooks Robinson - Shirriff
 

Alan,

I definitely appreciate all the information that you provide and are providing. Of course now I'm going to have to locate a 180 set version of Brooks. If someone has one, doesn't have to be Brooks I assume, to see the back of this Salada version.

Below is the '62 Shirriff coin back

Attachment 379514

Alan,

Do you have a checklist with all the Orioles team issue postcards? Weren't you working on that project, with pictures included?

When I was young I really didn't know a lot about team issue postcards even though I saw a few back then, but really didn't know what they were. I do have a few now and they are some of my favorite items. The Brooks you pictured, the one with the rookie card photo, I've been looking for an unsigned version for I don't know how long now. I've seen one, but it wasn't available for sale; maybe I'll find one some day. Is the one you listed been sent through the mail? If so, what is the date of mailing?

1/1 Prototypes
 

Here are two 1/1 prototypes of a Brooks Southland statue that was never issued.

First is an unpainted solid resin, the other is a wax statue that was used in the mold making for the statue.

Wish they would have gone ahead and actually issued it!

Brooks Robinson
 

Ed Allan from Maryland compiled a checklist of Orioles postcards with the help of other collectors, probably 20 years ago, that most people use as the standard. He continues to update it each year with new issues and discoveries of older unknown postcards. To date, I believe there are 2,863
different ones from 1954-2019. Every year we cross our fingers that the Orioles continue to print them. On Mondays and Thursdays, during the season, the Orioles have local old timers (Orioles alumni) signing autographs before the game. Postcards are printed for those players, but they are in a little different format from the regular issue. A lot of the same players appear each year and the Orioles tend to use the same postcard over and over, so there aren't many new alumni postcards each year. Here's a link to Ed's website with some of the recent issues. At one time, he was selling copies of his checklist, including pictures, upon request. I have one up to 2012 and have been adding my own updated pages since then. I don't know if he is still printing the book or not.

http://edallan.atwebpages.com/

Mark,
I'll gladly send you any info you would like or maybe you need to make a trip to Sarasota during spring training for a game and we can catch up then.

The autographed Brooks Robinson postcard is postmarked Aug 14, 1957. It is harder to find than the other pose, in my opinion. Again, that could be that Brooks wasn't as well known early in his career and didn't get the fan mail that some of the others got.

Fred,

I was hoping you would post pictures of your two prototypes of the Brooks Southland statue. I don’t know if you recall, but several years ago you provided pictures of them and I saved them somewhere. I remember those being the coolest items and wondered why in the would they wouldn’t have produced them. They look great! Hey, if you have an opportunity to post a picture of the Brooks prototypes displayed on your shelf with your other figures I’d love to view.

When I get a chance I'll request the information on the postcards. I know I still have the information you sent me on some of the Brooks postcards and the slight variations.

I need to get down toe Sarasota to catch some spring training. It's tough with my daughter still doing All Star Cheer and Dance. They have so many competitions that I'm travelling so much and run out of vacation. By the way where are you currently, home (Maine) or are you out and about?

Thanks for the postmark information on the Brooks postcard. That postcard had to be first produced in 1957 and I guess the O's could have kept producing into other years. Is the other Brooks postcard first produced in 1959?

Brooks Robinson
 

We are in Sarasota until May. I'm not sure if the Brooks postcard is 1959 or earlier. It is part of the group that is generally classified as 1957-59, since many of the postcards were printed over a range of years and have been found with postmarks from different years. Old time postcard collectors, Dan Even and Bob Thing, kept some records of when they received certain cards from the Orioles, while others as best guess estimates. I don't believe there were any Brooks postcards before 1957, because the style before 1956 was much different (glossy photo postcard).

Mark: great thread! Finally received this back today. I will also post it in the 1964 Stand Up thread.

Attachment 379602

https://deadspin.com/what-i-found-at...tio-1826838160

Saw this on my phone today. Made me think of this thread.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

Just a side note about the Team Issue Postcards. Brook’s middle name is Calbert not Colbert. Those prototypes statues are so cool. It’s a mystery why the manufacture went that far without putting the out.
Also Tim thanks for posting the story about the son going through his fathers Brooks collection after he died. It was a great read.

Mike,

“FINALLY”, but that is worth the wait. Nice bold autograph on a nice looking standup. Think it looks great! Thanks so much for posting the auto for all to view.

Tim,

Thanks for attaching the link to the article. That was an interesting read.

Alan, I totally agree with you when it comes to the team issue postcards. I absolutely love collecting those. Very under appreciated in collecting world if you ask me.

Here is a scan of the Salada 180 back coin.