Friday, June 24, 2011

1969 Topps, Norm Miller



#76 Norm Miller

Here is the second card that I have to post from last years Topps Million Card Giveaway. This one features the former Astro and Brave, Norm Miller. If I remember correctly, I unlocked Norm's 1970 card and then flipped it for this one just to have an older card. I sent this card out on January 15 and I had it back on the 26th.

Norm played in the Majors for parts of ten seasons. All of his time was spent with the Astros except the final year and a half. It looks like he was mainly a fourth outfielder-type as he only played in 90 or more games twice. The season where he got the most playing time was 1969 and he hit .264 with 21 doubles, 4 home runs, and 50 RBI. All of those numbers were career highs except for the home runs. He had hit 6 the previous year.

Norm's career ended after the 1974 season and he finished it with a .238 lifetime average with 24 home runs and 159 RBI.

I find it strange that Topps had to blackout Norm's hat on this card. Up to that point, the Astros were the only Major League team that Norm had played with. I doubt that the photo is a minor league shot because the ballpark looks pretty big. Maybe Norm had been in a lot of trade talks at the time and Topps was trying to make it easier for themselves if it did go through? I honestly cannot come up with a good reason as to why his hat is blacked out.

3 comments:

  1. Topps had a licensing issue with the Astros nickname and its logo in the late '60s. That's why you see the team name referred to "Houston" in late '60s sets, and the logo blocked out (any reference to Astros on uniforms is obscured, too).

    Sometime in the middle of 1969, the licensing issue was settled because cards issued in later series of the '69 set feature Astros players with the logo showing on their caps.

    Here is a post explaining the whole deal:

    http://fleersticker.blogspot.com/2008/01/you-cant-call-them-astros.html

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  2. I had no idea. I didn't even realize that this card says Houston while all the rest have the team name. Thanks for the info, Greg!

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  3. It's great seeing all of these older signed cards.

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