Reno Bertoia had a brief but productive major league career playing second baseman and shortstop for the Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1956 to 1964. While his time in the big leagues lasted less than a decade, the cards featuring Bertoia from that era remain popular among collectors today. Let’s take an in-depth look at the history and various types of Reno Bertoia baseball cards that can be found.
Bertoia made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 1956 at just 21 years old. That rookie season was featured prominently in the 1956 Topps baseball card set, with Bertoia having the standard rookie card design wearing a Tigers uniform on card #496. While not exceeding rare or valuable on its own today, it marks Bertoia’s first major appearance in the hobby. He continued to receive annual cards from Topps through the early 1960s as he bounced around different teams.
In 1957, Bertoia was traded to the Cincinnati Reds midway through the season. This resulted in him appearing in both Tigers and Reds uniforms across various 1957 Topps issues. The cards portraying him as a member of the Reds have increased collector interest given their pseudo “rookie card” status post-debut. Strong 1957 Topps Bertoia Reds cards in pristine Near Mint to Mint condition can sell for $100-200 nowadays.
1958 was the breakout campaign for Bertoia with the Reds, establishing career highs in games played, at-bats, hits, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI and walks. He finished 8th in NL MVP voting that year. Not surprisingly, his 1958 Topps card #288 is among the most encountered and recognized from his playing days. In well-centered, sharp Excellent condition examples still run $15-30 due to the strong player performance association with the issue year.
While Bertoia bounced back and forth between Cincinnati and their minor league affiliates over the next few seasons, he received cards in each corresponding year’s Topps set between 1959-61. None hold as much nostalgia or value as cards from his peak 1958 season with the Reds. In 1962, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, opening the door for yet another uniform change on his baseball cards.
Topps happily capitalized on this with Bertoia’s 1962 card showing him dressed in both Reds and Dodgers threads to signify the midyear transaction. High quality ’62s showing him as a Dodger have the most elevated demand due to the superficial “rookie card” appeal over a decade into his career. A pristine Near Mint example could bring $50-75 in today’s market. 1962 also marked the final regular issue card dedicated to Bertoia before his MLB career wound down the following year.
After retiring from the majors in 1964, Bertoia spent a few more seasons in the minors as a player-coach before transitioning to a long career as a coach and scout. While no longer an active big leaguer, he did receive some acknowledgment of his past contributions in subsequent years. In 1965 and 1966, Topps included Bertoia in their “Remember… when” subsets, reusing his 1958 and 1962 photo respectively.
His final baseball card appearance came in the 1968 Atlanta Crackers Caldecott stamp set, a premium minor league issue. Bertoia had played for and was now coaching the Crackers. In the late 1980s, he was inducted to the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame as well. These later recognitions satisfied fans nostalgia for the former Reds star of the late 1950s and ensures his legacy is remembered to some extent in the card collecting community today.
While not reaching the highest honors of the Hall of Fame, Reno Bertoia left an mark during his eight MLB seasons deserving remembrance decades later. The various baseball cards documenting his up-and-down major league tenure remain accessible collectibles for fans. Bertoia cards have respectable mid-range valuations, led by his top 1958 Reds issue. And minor finds like his pseudo “rookie” cards as a Red still excite collectors. Even sixty years after he debuted, Bertoia’s contributions to mid-century Cincinnati continue resonating within the baseball card collecting hobby.
