1966 Topps #273 Astro Aces - Bob Aspromonte / Rusty Staub
On this card: Bob Aspromonte, Rusty Staub
About this card
This is one of the five combo cards in the 1966 Topps set - #52 Power Plus, #99 Buc Belters, #156 D P Combo, #199 ChiSox Clubbers and #273 Astro Aces - each grouping two or three teammates under a headline rather than giving one man his own card.
The story on this card
Topps paired two Houston Astros regulars on one card as Astro Aces, a title marking them as the club's top performers. Bob Aspromonte, the third baseman, was in his fifth straight season holding down the position and led the National League in fielding percentage there that year while driving in 52 runs. Rusty Staub, the right fielder, was coming into his own at the plate, batting .280 with 13 home runs and 81 RBI and winning the team MVP award as voted by Houston baseball writers. Both were everyday players for a still-young expansion franchise, Aspromonte anchoring the infield with steady glove work and Staub emerging as a run producer in only his fourth big-league season.
Bob Aspromonte was Houston's steady third baseman, the expansion Colt .45s' first-ever batter and their everyday man at third through 1968, remembered for six grand slams and the ones he promised to Billy Bradley, a boy blinded by lightning. Rusty Staub - a $100,000 bonus baby out of New Orleans who grew into a six-time All-Star outfielder, beloved in Montreal as Le Grand Orange and remembered for 2,716 career hits.
Sources: Wikipedia (Bob Aspromonte) · Wikipedia (Rusty Staub) · SABR BioProject (Rusty Staub) · SABR BioProject (Bob Aspromonte) · Baseball Almanac (Bob Aspromonte) · Baseball Almanac (Rusty Staub)
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 245 | 6 | 37 | 108 | 41 | 21 | 16 | 11 | 5 |
| SGC | 10 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 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. Where SGC registers no separate row for a variation state, its slabs of that card are listed under the base state.
Find this card
Search T206 Cards Shop 1966 Topps cards Live auctions Buy It Now on eBay Sold prices
As an eBay Partner Network affiliate, T206Cards.com may earn from qualifying purchases.
Related cards
More Houston Astros cards:
- #21 Don Nottebart
- #45 Jim Gentile
- #64 Bob Bruce
- #86 John Bateman
- #106 Rusty Staub
- #122 Joe Gaines
- #147 Lum Harris
- #162 Lee Maye
- #174 Ron Taylor
- #195 Joe Morgan
- #228 Larry Dierker
- #244 Astros 1966 Rookie Stars
- #258 Dave Giusti
- #297 Jim Owens
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1966 Topps #273 card?
It is card #273 of the 598-card 1966 Topps Baseball set, picturing Bob Aspromonte and Rusty Staub. This is one of the five combo cards in the 1966 Topps set - #52 Power Plus, #99 Buc Belters, #156 D P Combo, #199 ChiSox Clubbers and #273 Astro Aces - each grouping two or three teammates under a headline rather than giving one man his own card.
How many cards are in the 1966 Topps Baseball set?
598 cards, tracked as 613 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 598 with no gaps and no number used twice, and 14 cards carry catalogued print variations - five checklists, the trade and sold statement backs, the three-state #43 Don Landrum, three team-card dot pairs and the #161 Jerry Lumpe white streak - that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, Cardboard Connection, 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.