Frank Robinson (1935-2019) played outfield in Major League Baseball from 1956 to 1976. He is also known for his years as a manager, coach, and executive in MLB.
The bulk of his career came with the Cincinnati Reds from 1956 to 1965 and the Baltimore Orioles 1966 to 1971, and he finished his career
with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1972, the California Angels from 1973 to 1974, and the Cleveland Indians from 1974 to 1976.
He finished his career with a .294 batting average, 2,943 hits, 586 home runs, and 1,812 RBIs, and he was a fourteen time All Star, a World Series champion in 1966 and 1970, the 1966 World Series MVP, and he won the 1966 Triple Crown.
Robinson won the NL MVP in 1961 and the AL MVP in 1966. He is the first player in MLB history to win the MVP in both the AL and NL.
As a result, Robinson is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He was inducted in 1982 on 89.2% of the vote. Also, his no. 20 jersey was retired by the Cincinnati Reds, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Cleveland Indians.
Robinson was born in Beaumont, Texas. He was the youngest of ten children. His parents divorced shortly after he was born, and Robinson moved with his mother to Oakland, California.
A standout in multiple sports, Robinson was a basketball teammate to Bill Russell and baseball teammate to Vada Pinson and Curt Flood.
Robinson was signed out of high school by the Reds scout Bobby Mattick. His contract was worth $3,500. After a few moves through leagues, Robinson was promoted to the Reds in 1956.
Off to a phenomenal start, Robinson had 38 home runs as a rookie, which tied the record at the time. He was an easy vote for NL Rookie of the Year.
In 1961 the Reds won the pennant, but they lost in the World Series to the New York Yankees. Robinson was a major part of the Reds offense by this time, and he won the NL MVP that year.
Meanwhile, Robinson became known as an aggressive player, and at times, he was overly aggressive. For example, he caused Johnny Logan to miss six weeks by spiking him, and his fistfight with Eddie Matthews in 1960 made the news.
Red’s owner Bill DeWitt called Robinson “not a young 30” in 1966, and DeWitt traded him that year, primarily for pitcher Milt Pappas. While Pappas sharply declined, Robinson won the 1966 Triple Crown and AL MVP, as well as leading the Orioles to a 1966 World Series victory in a
sweep against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Thus, the Dewitt-Pappas trade in 66’ is one of the most lopsided trades in the history of professional sports. The Reds’ embarrassment was complete in 1970 when the Orioles defeated the Reds in the 1970 World Series.
Robinson’s career as a player slowly fizzled out until he retired in 1976. At the time, he was fourth in career home runs, as well as a leader of a few other lesser records.
An active member of the Civil Rights movement and the NAACP, Robinson spoke widely on issues of racial justice. In the 1970s, he began to campaign for a manager role, and he was traded to the Cleveland Indians for this purpose.
Robinson became a player-manager for the Cleveland Indians in 1975, which made him the first African American manager in MLB history. After decades involved in different levels of coaching staff, Robinson retired as a manager with a 1,065-1,176 managerial record.
He is listed on many All Time teams and player lists. Furthermore, the Reds, Orioles, and Indians all have statues of Robinson outside of their parks, which is a rare honor.
Robinson is one of the best players of his era, as well as one of the most important members of American sports history. This article will take you through some of his cards.
1957 Topps Frank Robinson Rookie Card
Frank Robinson sits at #35 in the 1957 Topps. There are 407 cards of standard size (2 ½” x 3 ½”). This is actually the set that defined the
standard size for baseball cards for years to come. In addition to Frank Robinson, the key rookies include Brooks Robinson, Jim Bunning, Rocky Colavito, Don Drysdale, Whitey Herzog, Tony Kubek, and Bobby Richardson.
For reference, there are over 300,000 cards registered from this set with PSA. Well over 4,000 of those cards are Frank Robinson copies.
In Mint condition, the price of a Robinson rookie has fluctuated greatly for several years. For the last five years, the cost of a Mint copy went from $15,000, up to over $50,000, back down to $15,000, and back up to $50,000.
With a budget of $1,000, you might get lucky and find a PSA 7, but you should be safe at a PSA 6.
1958 Topps Frank Robinson
There are 494 cards of standard size in the 1958 Topps. Robinson’s card is at #285. The key rookie cards in the set are Roger Maris and Orlando Cepeda.
There are nearly 250,000 cards registered with PSA, and over 1500 of those cards are Frank Robinson copies.
Mint copies of this card have sold for around $3,000 to $4,000 since 2013. With a budget of $1,000, a PSA 8 is doable, but prices may be rising since the Covid-19 spike.
1960 Topps Frank Robinson
The 1960 Topps baseball has 572 cards of standard size, and Robinson’s card is at #490. Keys to the set include Ernie Banks, Bob Gibson, Mickey Mantle, and Willie Mays.
There are nearly 300,000 cards registered from this set with PSA. Over 1,800 of those cards are Robinson cards.
Mint copies have sold for about $2,000 since 2020, and a PSA 8 will sell for about $500 in 2021.
1961 Topps Frank Robinson
The 1961 Topps has 587 cards with standard measurements, and Frank Robinson sits at #360. Key rookies include Ron Santo, Billy Williams, and Juan Marichal.
For reference, PSA has well over 300,000 cards registered from the set, and over 2,000 of those are Robinson copies.
Mint copies can be captured for under $1,000 for this card, while Gem Mint copies will most likely still go for over $10,000.
1962 Topps Frank Robinson
There are 598 cards in this set, and each card has standard measurements. Robinson sits at #350. Of the hundreds of thousands of copies graded by PSA for this set, Robinson makes up over 1,000.
Prices briefly jump up for the set, and then they mostly decline as you move on in Robinson’s career. PSA 10’s and 9’s are hard to come by for this card. So, PSA 8’s sell for over $2,000 each.
Conclusion
Robinson is a member of MLB history. Along with legends like Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, and more, Frank Robinson represents the emergence of African Americans in Major League Baseball.
As the first black manager, Robinson is a historically significant baseball player. To have a Frank Robinson card is to have a piece of American history.