1963 Topps #45 Bob Aspromonte
About Bob Aspromonte
Card #45 is a series-1 number, an early-run card in the 1963 set and Aspromonte's second in a Colt .45s uniform. The season behind it produced his signature story: on May 7, 1962 he visited Billy Bradley, a nine-year-old blinded by a lightning strike in El Dorado, Arkansas and sent to Houston for eye treatment, promised the boy a home run, and hit a three-run shot off Pete Richert that night in a 9-6 win.
Bob Aspromonte, a third baseman from Brooklyn, signed with his hometown Dodgers in July 1956 and debuted that September as an 18-year-old pinch hitter; he became the last Brooklyn Dodger to appear in a major-league game, playing his final one in 1971. Houston took him third overall in the October 1961 expansion draft, and on April 10, 1962 he produced the first hit, run, walk and stolen base in Colt .45s/Astros history. He held Houston's third base for seven seasons, starting every Opening Day through 1968, and hit six grand slams, then a franchise record - several promised to Billy Bradley, an Arkansas boy blinded by lightning and sent to Houston for eye treatment. Traded to Atlanta in December 1968, he finished with the 1971 Mets: .252, 1,103 hits, 60 home runs, 457 RBI in 13 seasons. Known as 'Aspro,' he later ran a Houston beer distributorship and entered the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Astros Walk of Fame, its first honoree, in 2012.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 326 | 1 | 12 | 188 | 91 | 22 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| SGC | 17 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-09-24. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8), and PSA's qualified grades are counted separately from the straight-grade rows shown here.
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Related cards
Team card: #312 Houston Colt .45's
More Houston Colt .45's cards:
- #9 1962 National League Strikeout Leaders
- #24 Bob Bruce
- #77 Al Spangler
- #99 Jim Umbricht
- #119 Bob Lillis
- #141 Manny Mota
- #153 Hal Smith
- #158 1963 Rookie Stars
- #189 Dave Giusti
- #204 Don Nottebart
- #208 1963 Rookie Stars
- #230 Pete Runnels
- #262 Ellis Burton
- #277 Dick Farrell
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1963 Topps #45 card?
It is card #45 of the 576-card 1963 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Aspromonte of the Houston Colt .45's.
How many cards are in the 1963 Topps Baseball set?
576 cards, tracked as 583 collectible states. The numbers run from 1 to 576 with no gaps and no number used twice, and seven cards carry a catalogued print variation - three checklists, the two Rookie Stars cards also printed with a "1962" heading, and the #341 Jack Baldschun and #454 Art Fowler print states - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, The Topps Archives, Baseball-Reference, the SABR BioProject and the National Baseball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-10-03.