1965 Topps #212 Ron Brand
About Ron Brand
By 1965 Ron Brand had joined the Houston Astros, his card 212 issued in the third series of that year's Topps set reflecting the franchise's rebrand from the Colt .45s. That season he took over as Houston's regular catcher, overtaking John Bateman for the starting job and appearing in a career-high 117 games. Brand hit two home runs, including the third of his career on August 18, and posted a .235 average with 37 RBI, establishing himself as an everyday backstop in his first full big-league season.
Ron Brand, born January 13, 1940, in Los Angeles, was a right-handed catcher who played eight major league seasons from 1963 to 1971. Signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent out of North Hollywood High School, he spent five years in Pittsburgh's farm system before debuting in 1963. Selected by the Houston Colt .45s in the 1964 Rule 5 draft, Brand became a fixture of the Astros' catching corps through 1968, sharing duties in a season-to-season platoon with John Bateman. The Montreal Expos then drafted Brand in the 1968 expansion draft, and he resumed his partnership with Bateman as an original member of the new franchise. In his final Montreal seasons his role shifted toward utility infield work. Over 568 career games, Brand batted .239 with 3 home runs and 106 RBI. He later managed in the California League before retiring from professional baseball.
Sources: Wikipedia · Baseball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 202 | 2 | 41 | 102 | 38 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 0 |
| SGC | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-09-04. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted. The two checklist variations, #79 and #508, are listed under the wording PSA uses for each state.
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Related cards
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- #48 Claude Raymond
- #80 Turk Farrell
- #109 Walt Bond
- #164 Al Spangler
- #175 Bob Aspromonte
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- #257 Jim Wynn
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1965 Topps #212 card?
It is card #212 of the 598-card 1965 Topps Baseball set, picturing Ron Brand of the Houston Astros.
How many cards are in the 1965 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 600 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no printed-number collisions, and two checklist cards - #79 and #508 - carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, BaseballCardPedia, Baseball Almanac, 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 2026-10-11.