20 Cards of #20

Over the course of his lifetime, Frank Robinson was one of a few players that caused you to look beyond his stats and that's not easy given his 586 career home runs. However, there was something special about him, something that separated him from other power hitters from the 60s

A 14-time All-Star, Robinson began his career with an unbelievably strong rookie season and never really looked back. Even to this date, Robinson is 10th on the all-time list of home runs, not to mention he led the Orioles to 2 World Championships.

Even after his career, Frank Robinson continued his legacy by becoming the first black manager of all-time when he became the player-manager of the Cleveland Indians in 1975. Robinson took home the Manager of the Year award in '89 with the Orioles, and he remains the sole player to win the MVP award in both leagues.

Robinson broke down barriers and left a nearly unprecedented legacy. He drove in over 1,800 runs while later capturing 1,000 managerial wins. 3 teams retired his #20, and he was a first ballot Hall of Famer.

All of his accomplishments aside, Robinson was cherished by those who played with him and even against him. That's what made his passing yesterday so devastating because he truly was unlike everyone else he played alongside with. 

He spoke out for the civil rights movement, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Robinson's achievements both on and off the field are truly unbelievable, and as soon as his passing was announced yesterday, tributes began pouring in.

Because he wore #20 for most of his career, I've selected 20 of my favorite Frank Robinson cards to display as a way to pay tribute to one of the greatest men to ever play the game.

One of the first Frank Robinson cards I remember owning is his 1959 Topps card on the Cincinnati Redlegs. For as long as I've been collecting his cards, this beauty has been in my collection, and I finally decided to get it, along with some other vintage cards, graded a while back.

This card just might be my favorite Frank Robinson card in my entire collection. The 1962 Topps design looks absolutely beautiful, and the vintage card features Robinson during one of his last few seasons with the Reds before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles.

At the start of the 1968 season, Robinson had already hit nearly 400 career home runs and roughly 20 total triples. Though this 1968 Topps Game card is a special piece in my Frank Robinson player collection, that does not distract from the fact that it would make more sense to say home run and not triple.

One of Robinson's 14 All-Star game selections was immortalized on cardboard in this awesome Sporting News All-Star card from 1970 Topps. There appears to be an actual news headline on this high-number card, though I'm not certain what the title is referencing due to the positioning of the picture of Robinson.

It's 1971 Topps. The photo is freaking amazing. The card is commemorating a game from the 1970 World Series, a matchup in which the Orioles won by defeating Robinson's former team, the Reds. Need I say any more about this phenomenal card?

Frank Robinson was the recipient of the highly-coveted card #100 in the 1972 Topps set, an honor that I wouldn't be shocked to learn that he received at least 1 other time over the course of his career. In 2019, that card number was given to Mike Trout.

After his time in Baltimore, Robinson bounced around with a few other teams before retiring after the 1976 season. During this time period, Robinson played for the California Angels, and we, as collectors, we granted this awesome card from the 1974 Topps set.

This card might have to go down as not just my favorite Frank Robinson card, but maybe one of the top 10 best cards in my entire collection. Everything about Robinson, from the batting gloves to the patch on his sleeve, screams the 1970s like nothing I've ever seen before.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall there being another MLB player in the 500 home run club while also achieving over 1,000 wins as a manager, 264 of which came from when he managed the San Francisco Giants in the early 1980s.

If this Fleer Sports Illustrated cover card is, in fact, modeled after an actual magazine issue, then I'm dying to see what the actual magazine from 1971 will look like with #20 on the cover in the classic Orioles uniform.

Whether there's a surplus of color or the card is simple black and white, Frank Robinson has been the subject of some of the most iconic and well-made cards in Baseball history, including this beauty from 1999 Upper Deck Retro.

I had to sneak an oddball in here, and this wood-bordered Topps Post 500 home run club card is one of my favorites in my Frank Robinson collection, and it reminds me a lot of the 1962 Topps set, even if he's shown as an Oriole and not a member of the Reds.

Though I have both blue and gold parallels of this very card, I chose the purple/pink parallel instead, for I felt the color worked especially well with the Cleveland Indians uniform from the mid-1970s when Robinson played for that team.

This is my only card of Frank Robinson that shows him as the manager of the Montreal Expos. However, in lieu of his passing, I'm determined to find at least one more card showcasing the first-ballot Hall of Famer as the manager of the Expos before they became the Nationals.

Allen & Ginter is the perfect platform for a Frank Robinson card; case and point, the 2006 inaugural set. I've yet to find many other A&G cards of Robinson other than this one, but I've always envisioned him in a future Allen & Ginter set as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

Black and gold was an excellent choice for the 2007 Upper Deck SP Legendary Cuts set, as was the black and white photo of the 1966 AL Triple Crown award winner. Although it looks slightly out of place given the elegance of the rest of the card, the Orioles logo is not a bad choice for this card nevertheless

My actual 1972 Topps Traded card, featuring Frank Robinson on the Dodgers, is currently residing in my 1972 Topps binder. Since I wanted to stick solely to the Robinson player collection for this post, I went with the 2010 Topps Cards Your Mom Threw Out reproduction instead.

It's hard to recognize all the different awards that #20 is showcasing on his 2012 Panini Golden Age card, but if nothing else, I recognize the Triple Crown on his head. If Panini can find a photo as awesome and unique as this for their mixed-sport product, there's no reason why Topps can't put in a bit more effort with their retired player pictures.

The last card I'm going with is my newest Frank Robinson card to date; a 2017 Topps Salute insert card with an unconventional team, the Cleveland Indians, rather than the more traditional choices like the Orioles and the Reds.

Whether you look at his accomplishments in Baseball or his heroics off the field, Frank Robinson was a talented athlete and an incredibly special individual. Needless to say, the Baseball world lost a hero yesterday.

Rest in Peace, Frank Robinson.