1971 Topps #408 Rafael Robles
About Rafael Robles
In September 1970 the Padres recalled Rafael Robles, who started 21 of their last 27 games at shortstop. He hit .213 in 23 games, and two of his hits drew notice: a seventh-inning single that broke up Gaylord Perry's perfect-game bid on September 19, and a leadoff single against Marichal a week later. His 1971 Topps card, #408, is from the fourth series and shows him with San Diego. He spent part of 1971 with the Hawaii Islanders of the Pacific Coast League.
Rafael Robles was a Dominican shortstop from San Pedro de Macoris who signed with the San Francisco Giants in 1967 and was drafted by the expansion San Diego Padres in October 1968. He played winter ball for Escogido and was named the Dominican League's Rookie of the Year. He broke camp with San Diego in 1969 and became the first player to bat in Padres history, reaching base on an error by Joe Morgan and stealing second in the opener. Robles spent parts of three seasons with the Padres, 1969, 1970 and 1972, shuttling between San Diego and the high minors at Elmira, Salt Lake City and Hawaii in between. With fellow Dominican Roberto Pena he formed the majors' first all-Dominican double-play combination, and he hit .188 in 47 big-league games. Robles also helped the Dominican Republic win its first Caribbean Series title in 1971 while playing for Licey. His major league career ended in 1972, and he died in New York in 1998 at age 50. His son Orlando is a Latin urban artist.
Sources: Wikipedia · SABR BioProject · Baseball-Reference · BaseballCardPedia
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 1-4 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 358 | 1 | 20 | 143 | 164 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| SGC | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 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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Frequently asked questions
What is the 1971 Topps #408 card?
It is card #408 of the 752-card 1971 Topps Baseball set, picturing Rafael Robles of the San Diego Padres.
How many cards are in the 1971 Topps Baseball set?
752 cards, tracked as 761 collectible states. Numbers run from 1 to 752 with none skipped, issued in six print series (132/131/130/130/120/109 cards), the sixth (#644-752) the high numbers; seven cards carry catalogued print variations that the master set counts separately - the #42, #265 and #306 photo pairs and the #123, #206, #369 and #619 checklists, #369 and #619 in three printings each.
Sources: Trading Card Database, PSA (its price guide, master set registry and set article), 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.