The Houston Astros have a long and storied history dating back to 1962 when they entered Major League Baseball as an expansion franchise known as the Colt .45s. Over the past 60+ years, the Astros have featured some of the greatest players in baseball history and produced many valuable and sought-after baseball cards. For collectors looking to build the ultimate Astros collection, here are some of the best and most important Astros baseball cards to seek out.
1962 Topps Jim Umbricht (#110) – The very first Astros card features pitcher Jim Umbricht, who only played one season for the Colt .45s but remains a historic piece of franchise history as the No. 1 card. Highly coveted by collectors, graded PSA 10 examples can fetch thousands.
1965 Topps Joe Morgan (#143) – Joe Morgan spent the first several seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Astros and is undoubtedly their greatest player from the 1960s. His 1965 rookie card remains one of the most important from that decade for Houston.
1969 Topps Larry Dierker (#550) – Larry Dierker is beloved in Houston for his playing career and later managing the Astros. His rookie card from 1969, which shows him pitching for the Astros, is a must-have for any serious collector.
1971 Topps Billy Smith (#537) – An extremely rare and valuable card, Billy Smith’s only season was with the Astros in 1971. High-grade versions can sell for well over $10,000 due to the card’s scarcity.
1975 Topps Joe Niekro (#512) – Joe Niekro won over 200 games and had a long, successful career but his time with the Astros in the 1970s make this rookie card particularly important in any Astros PC.
1980 Topps Nolan Ryan (#138) – Nolan Ryan is known more for the Angels and Rangers but he spent 1979-1980 in Houston and dominated during that time. His card from his final Astros season is a true key piece.
1981 Donruss Craig Biggio (#381) – Biggio made his MLB debut in 1988 but fans can get an early look at the franchise icon with this stellar 1981 Donruss rookie card featuring a young Biggio.
1986 Donruss Mike Scott (#430) – Mike Scott’s dominant 1986 NL Cy Young season has gone down as arguably the greatest single season in Astros history. His ’86 Donruss card perfectly captures that amazing year.
1991 Upper Deck Jeff Bagwell (#1) – The crown jewel of any Astros collection, Jeff Bagwell’s legendary 1991 Upper Deck rookie card in a PSA 10 grade recently sold for over $300,000, a true record for an Astros card.
1995 Upper Deck Derek Bell (#640) – As one of the key pieces of the Killer B’s outfield, Derek Bell shined in the mid-90s for Houston. His stellar 1995 UD card is a must-have for that era.
2004 Topps Roger Clemens (#249) – Despite pitching just one season in Houston late in his career, Roger Clemens made an huge impact for the ’04 Astros. His card is a nice piece of their playoff run.
2005 Topps Roy Oswalt (#341) – Roy Oswalt spent over a decade anchoring Houston’s rotation and won 20+ games twice for them. His 2005 Topps card is the perfect representation of the ace.
2007 Topps Lance Berkman (#234) – Big Puma provided many highlight moments during his stellar Astros tenure. Collectors should seek out his 2007 Topps card showing him in his Houston uniform.
2017 Topps Carlos Correa (#212) – As a cornerstone of the franchise moving forward, Carlos Correa’s rookie card from his breakout 2017 season is sure to become a highly valuable Astros card in the years to come.
There are certainly many other notable and valuable Astros baseball cards that could be included in a discussion of the franchise’s best, but this list of 18 cards spanning their history in Houston provides a solid foundation for any collector looking to assemble the core of a stellar Astros collection. With such a long tradition of excellence both on the field and in the hobby, Astros cards will remain a popular focus for collectors for generations to come.
