Top 5 Baltimore Orioles Autos/Relics

The Baltimore Orioles are one team on a short list of clubs that I'm willing to write one of these top 5 auto/relic card posts for. 

Along with previous subjects like the Red Sox, Cubs, Cardinals, and Athletics, I have a fair share of Orioles relics and autograph cards, making it a lot easier for me to formulate a strong list of 5 standout cards.

I've only pulled 1 or 2 Baltimore Orioles hits from packs myself, meaning that most of the Orioles relics and autographs in my collection were purchased by either myself or my Dad. 

Nevertheless, this revelation makes sense, for I vividly remember my Dad returning home from a Baseball card show a few years ago with a ton of HOF relic cards that he found for incredibly low prices, including a large stack of Brooks Robinson cards.

Although relic cards aren't as popular as they once were, I enjoy picking up relatively inexpensive jersey and bat cards at the show. As far as collecting hits are concerned, I'm not fussy over whose cards I collect. 

Truth be told, I care more about the price of the card and the set design than I do about the actual player. By purchasing less expensive relics or even some autos at the Baseball card show, I've been able to boost my hits collection, allowing me to write posts like this for several different teams.

Every time I write a top 5 cards post, for either a player or a team, I always try to feature a wide range of different cards, even though I'm only showcasing 5. This time around, however, I unintentionally chose cards of just 2 different players; Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer.

While I'm not too keen on featuring cards of just 2 players, the 5 that I selected are truly the greatest Orioles relic cards and autographs in my collection. Beginning with a Brooks bat relic from 2004, here are my top 5 Baltimore Orioles autos/relics.

#5 2004 Topps Tribute Hall of Fame Tribute Relic

There were a couple of Orioles relic cards that, based on set design alone, I preferred to the one shown above. However, the thing that I appreciate most about the '04 Topps Tribute HOF card above is the sizeable bat relic that Topps included.

Arguably, a smaller bat relic would've gelled better with the other numbers in the year 1983, but Topps went out of there way to include a large, game-used bat relic of the 15-time All-Star. 

The Tribute set design from '04 is very elegant, especially with the gold box around the words "Hall of Fame" at the bottom. The photograph is standard, nothing too special, but it succeeds in working well with the rest of the elements of the card.

#4 2006 Fleer Greats of the Game Decade Greats

Even when Fleer was taken over by Upper Deck in 2006, the Greats of the Game brand remained one of my favorite Baseball card products. The set designs are classic and the checklists feature players who are often underrepresented as far as Baseball card products are concerned. 

The previously mentioned relic card sets, especially from the 2006 release, are spectacular. This includes Decade Greats card above and another Brooks Robinson game-used bat relic. 

The card sticks primarily to orange and black, Baltimore's team colors, and features a simple yet effective design that draws attention first to the bat piece, then to the black and white photo of Robinson.

#3 2002 Fleer Box Score Hall of Fame Material

I promise that this is both the final Brooks Robinson card and the last bat relic in the top 5. After this card from 2002 Fleer Box Score, I'll move onto the top 2 where both the cards feature Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer.

Speaking of the HOF, the #3 card on this list is from the Hall of Fame Material relic card set, featuring yet another game-used piece of Brooks Robinson's bat. I really love the brown border as well as the sepia photo, for they both contribute to the overall feel of the card.

I can't quite describe what it is, but I'm a huge fan of the style of this card. My only criticism is that the Orioles logo should reflect the time in which Robinson played, not the actual Baltimore logo from 2002.

#2 2011 Topps Tribute Dual Relic

I don't have all that many dual, triple or quad relics in my collection, but I cherish the ones that I do have, especially the Palmer card from 2011 Topps Tribute. This is the base version of the dual relic cards from the set, so it's serial numbered out of 99 copies.

When scanned, the card background appears to be a mix of pink and gold, but it's more of a shiny silver color in real life. Like the first Tribute card on this list, multiple elements come together to create an impressive card, including a nice gold ink facsimile signature above the 2 relic swatches.

#1 2018 Topps Archives Topps Rookie History Autographs

The only autographed card on this list also happens to be one of my favorite autos or relics in my entire card collection. For the price of a blaster box of cards, I purchased a redemption card for this Topps Rookie History on-card auto of Jim Palmer, one of the greatest pitchers of the 60s/70s.

Topps was quite successful in recreating the 3-time AL Cy Young award winner's rookie card for this 2018 Topps Archives autograph insert set. Not only am I thrilled that the autograph is on-card, but it's also serial numbered out of 125 copies on the back. Talk about getting a bang for your buck.

I still love each and every one of the relic cards featured on this list, but none of them could top the spectacular HOF autograph that earned the #1 spot.