Brooks Robinson and the Baltimore Orioles

[Chstrite]

Day 73 – 14 March 2024
Brooks Robinson appeared in many regional sets during his playing days. One of the harder sets to find is his 1964 Martin Family Night card. This card is part of a give away set at a game played on July 17, 1964 against the Tigers. This set is printed on a blue background measuring 3 x 4 inches. Brooks is joined by 13 other Orioles in this set. I included a picture of all the players front and back with a close up of Brooks Robinson. The pictures can be seen on other photos. The back provides player personal information and 1963 stats. At the bottom of the card it mentions ZD or “Zero Defects at Martin!” I really tried hard to add this card to the PSA master but fell short. The Orioles shutout the Tigers with Robin Roberts pitching a complete game shutout. Brooks went 1/3 with a run, RBI, and BB. I have seen this card a few times but they are rare. I often wonder how many were in attendance that night (could not determine through a little research the total number) and regrettably forgot their cards under their seat?

[Chstrite]

With the Cards, I meant to share this beautiful score card from the Martin Family Night game with the blue card handouts. Anyone familiar with Z-D (on the back of the cards ZD stands for Zero Defects), Gemini Gems (does this have something to do with the space program rocket?) and the Clown? Same with the statement, “When the Orioles make a hit, Whistle!”

[roarfrom34]

Originally Posted by Chstrite

Day 73 – 14 March 2024
I often wonder how many were in attendance that night (could not determine through a little research the total number) and regrettably forgot their cards under their seat?

according to Baseball Reference the attendance was 22,629

[Chstrite]

Thanks, Bill. 22K. Not bad. So there would be a decent number of these handed out. I really like this set and program. They did great things in the 1960-1970s. This was one of them.

[ksfarmboy]

Did anyone that has a set of Martin Night cards get the Astronauts with them?

[BaltOrioles]

Originally Posted by Chstrite

Thanks, Bill. 22K. Not bad. So there would be a decent number of these handed out. I really like this set and program. They did great things in the 1960-1970s. This was one of them.

Charlie,

It is my understanding that the Martin Night set wasn't available to the general public. It was given out to Martin employees, but I'm not sure how they were distributed or the quantity. The set is much too hard to find to have been a stadium giveaway. I have a newsletter in my collection, from Martin Marietta, that mentions prizes and giveaways to employees, but doesn't specifically mention the card set. It looks like some prizes might have been based upon ticket sales within a department. I wish I knew more.

[Chstrite]

Clint, thanks for sharing the two astronaut cards. I was aware of them but was not sure exactly. If you have extra, please mail em my way.

Thanks, Alan. I was not sure about the distribution. Had not heard that. Thanks for the update. Very interesting.

[Chstrite]

Day 74 – 15 March 2024
Another interesting set Brooks Robinson appeared in was the 1970 Carl Aldana set. This set commemorated the 1970 WS Championship. Brooks appears on two different cards. Both cards are of him diving. On one you can see his face while the other shows his back. The card is from his famous diving catch. This set included 12 small cards including the 2 of Brooks with a blank back. I have provided a picture of the set and Brooks graded cards. Carl Aldan was a west coast artist that played college baseball but was mostly a non-sports artist (landscapes). I am not sure how these cards were distributed. He made another set of random players in 1971. He made a PCL set about 40 years later.

[ksfarmboy]

Cool set Charles, love the two different angles of Brooks making the catch! Thanks also for the reply on the Astronauts. I haven’t seen anyone else share them with their set so was curious.