1970 Topps #126 Marty Martinez
About Marty Martinez
Bob Aspromonte, the last original member of the Colt .45s, went to Atlanta in the deal that brought Marty Martinez to Houston. Martinez came to the plate 213 times in 1969 and had 61 hits in 198 at-bats, with 21 games in the outfield and 17 at shortstop. His 1970 Topps card, #126 in the first series, shows him in an Astros uniform.
Orlando Martinez, a Cuban-born switch-hitter known to teammates as Marty, spent seven big-league seasons as a utility man who appeared in 157 games at shortstop, 74 at third base and 59 at second. Signed by scout Joe Cambria for the Washington Senators organization in 1960, he reached the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 1962. After returning to the minors, he switched to hitting both ways in 1966 on a manager's suggestion, hit .313 at Triple-A Denver, and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves that winter. He filled utility and backup-catching roles for Atlanta, then moved to the Houston Astros, where his .308 average in 1969 was a career best. He closed his major-league career in 1972 with brief stops in St. Louis, Oakland and Texas. Martinez later managed in the minors and worked for the Seattle Mariners as a scout credited with signing Edgar Martinez and Omar Vizquel. He also coached for Seattle and served as the club's interim manager for one game in 1986.
Sources: SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 140 | 4 | 22 | 80 | 18 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| SGC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Data as of 2026-10-19. Half grades fold down for both graders (8.5→8); PSA qualified slabs (OC, ST, PD, MC and the like) are not counted.
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Related cards
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- #316 Skip Guinn
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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1970 Topps #126 card?
It is card #126 of the 720-card 1970 Topps Baseball set, picturing Marty Martinez of the Houston Astros.
How many cards are in the 1970 Topps Baseball set?
720 cards, tracked as 726 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 720 with none skipped, issued in seven series - #1-132, #133-263, #264-372, #373-459, #460-546, #547-633 and the high numbers, #634-720; 6 cards, all of them checklists, carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA CardFacts, BaseballCardPedia, 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 2026-10-25.