When did the rookie card phenomena start

[goudey1933]

I started collecting cards as a kid around 1971.In those early years there wasn't a lot of talk about rookie cards...although at that time I was so young I may have missed it.Anybody remember around the time people really were giving a premium to those cards and did a certain player start the craze?
Scott

[spec]

Joe Charboneau 1980?

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

I remember being a kid in the mid 1980s and starting to hear about the importance of rookies like those found in the 1984 Fleer Update set, the 1985 Topps Mark McGwire Olympic rookie, the 1984 Donruss Don Mattingly rookie, etc. Not sure if the rookie emphasis started just then or if it was simply a matter of my becoming old enough to begin knowing and understanding.

Either way, it's a shame. While there are undoubtedly some rookie cards out there which are aestically pleasing, there are many which just aren't all that great and collectors would otherwise prefer not spending big rookie $$ in favor of another card of the player, but they "can't" because just gotta have that rookie. Pete Rose springs to mind. I would guess 98 out of 100 sober collectors would choose his 1964 Topps card over the 1963 floating head Topps rookie.

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[swarmee]

Don Mattingly 1984 was where the rookie card phenomenon was cemented, as far as I know.

[gonzo]

My recollections as a collecter starting at the end of the 70s:

The first Beckett guide coming out in 1979 boosted older rookie cards, since now even beginning collectors knew which cards they were. But the first rookie card I remember being a big deal during the player’s rookie year was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. Before that, I don’t remember even older rookie cards having a huge premium, outside their age and the desirability of certain sets.

I remember that, collecting in 1980, I felt kind of cheated when I got a multiplayer rookie card. But in 1981, the Topps Traded sets came out, providing full-card versions of Valenzuela and Raines. The trend continued, with the big year-of rookies that I remember being Ripken in ‘82, Boggs and Strawberry in ‘83, and especially Gooden and Mattingly in ‘84. (I don’t remember Gwynn or Sandburg being as big a deal during their rookie years, but that may just be due to the circle I collected in.) As rookie cards increased in value, demand rose for rookies of other active stars like Brett, Henderson, and so forth. Pete Rose took off big time as he passed Musial for the NL hit record in 1981 and continued his pursuit of Ty Cobb.

By 1984, it was all about the rookies. Beckett Monthly let people track card values as if they were stocks, and some folks were imagining that their stash of Mattinglys would someday put Junior through college.

[Fetamore]

1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela. Demand for a card has never topped this one.
Although the 1982 Topps Kent Hrbek is a close second.

[rats60]

My recollections as a collecter starting at the end of the 70s:

The first Beckett guide coming out in 1979 boosted older rookie cards, since now even beginning collectors knew which cards they were. But the first rookie card I remember being a big deal during the player’s rookie year was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. Before that, I don’t remember even older rookie cards having a huge premium, outside their age and the desirability of certain sets.

I remember that, collecting in 1980, I felt kind of cheated when I got a multiplayer rookie card. But in 1981, the Topps Traded sets came out, providing full-card versions of Valenzuela and Raines. The trend continued, with the big year-of rookies that I remember being Ripken in ‘82, Boggs and Strawberry in ‘83, and especially Gooden and Mattingly in ‘84. (I don’t remember Gwynn or Sandburg being as big a deal during their rookie years, but that may just be due to the circle I collected in.) As rookie cards increased in value, demand rose for rookies of other active stars like Brett, Henderson, and so forth. Pete Rose took off big time as he passed Musial for the NL hit record in 1981 and continued his pursuit of Ty Cobb.

By 1984, it was all about the rookies. Beckett Monthly let people track card values as if they were stocks, and some folks were imagining that their stash of Mattinglys would someday put Junior through college.

These are my recollections too. Joe Charbaneau cards were hot at the beginning of 1981 coming off his ROY season. That was the first year there was real interest in a new card because it was a "rookie card." Gwynn and Sandberg became a big deal in 1984. By then people were prospecting, buying up rookie cards of players hoping they would hit it big and they could make a quick buck.

[ls7plus]

'80's, and came into full bloom before the bust in the early '90's. No surprise it's with us again. Collectors simply like to have cards of the current players they root for and enjoy watching. It comes down to having a piece of the action!

Best wishes,

Larry

[that T206 Guy]

1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela. Demand for a card has never topped this one.
Although the 1982 Topps Kent Hrbek is a close second.

What were they Selling for?

I remember 1986 Donruss Jose Canseco in Beckett for $150

[quitcrab]

Maybe it's my age, but the 75 Rice ,Lynn and Brett where pretty hot rookies to chase. The Fernando Venezuela was too as mentioned earlier.

[JTysver]

I recall there being a lot of interest in 1980 or 1981 for the Brett Rookie, especially the mini.

[CW]

I recall there being a lot of interest in 1980 or 1981 for the Brett Rookie, especially the mini.

It's funny how the mini cards used to be valued at about 2x the cost of the regulars due to their scarcity. Now it's basically the opposite.

[Fetamore]

The 1981 Topps Fernando Valenzuela card could be sold in quantity for about $3.00.

[Griffins]

I collected thru the mail and at shows '74-'76. Wasn't an factor then, but in '79 or '80 I set up at a show in L.A. to sell off my collection and everyone was asking for Rookie Jim Rice's, among others. Things had changed in that respect quite a bit in a few years.

[Steve D]

I started collecting seriously in 1975. The first one I remember "taking off" was the 1979 Bump Wills variations. It was Topps' first major error/variation since the 1974 "Washington NL" cards of the Padres. The Bob Horner 1979 Topps RC was also popular.

After that, the Fleer variation fiasco of 1981 reared it's head, lead by the "C"raig Nettles error. The Fernando and Charboneau RCs in 1981 Topps and Fleer took off, but not really that much. It wasn't until 1984 with the Don Mattingly Donruss RC, and to a lesser extent, the Daryl Strawberry 1984 Topps and 1983 Topps Update, that things really exploded.

It was in the early 1980s, after the 1979 Wills and 1981 Nettles, along with Jim Beckett publishing his first annual price guide in 1979, that people began going back and picking up previous rookies, like Rose, Ryan, Schmidt, Aaron; pretty much everyone, and prices started going up. Card collecting hit the newstands in 1981 with Krause's Baseball Cards Magazine. Baseball Hobby News by Frank and Vivian Barning started publishing, adding to Sports Collectors' Digest and The Trader Speaks. The investor side of it began growing with columns by Tony Galovich. Then of course, the tripling of companies issuing cards (Fleer and Donruss joining Topps), certainly added to all the fun.

Steve

[moeson]

Steve, you are totally on the money with these recollections!

[JollyElm]

It's funny how the mini cards used to be valued at about 2x the cost of the regulars due to their scarcity. Now it's basically the opposite.

Growing up in New York, we never even saw the minis, and only became aware of them years later through baseball card magazines. Now that I live in California, I see those little guys all over the place in card shows and card shops. I can't get away from them!!!

[albrshbr]

I believe it started in 1979. A couple of guys bought some high-end 52 Topps Mantles at the National, and things haven't been the same. Bob Horner, Willie Wilson, and a bit later Carney Lansford were the big current rookies, but it was Rice and Lynn that were in the biggest demand.

Then in 1981 it was Valenzuela, Raines, and Charbouneau. I bought a couple of 73 Schmidt for $5 each and a 65 Carlton for $16.

In 1982 Ripken was hot, and Gretzky rookies were up to $12! I traded my Schmidts for $100 each and the Carlton for $150 (picked up 1957-1960 Aarons, Mays, B Robinson, etc.). The market had really taken off

[savedfrommyspokes]

I started collecting seriously in 1975. The first one I remember "taking off" was the 1979 Bump Wills variations. It was Topps' first major error/variation since the 1974 "Washington NL" cards of the Padres. The Bob Horner 1979 Topps RC was also popular.

After that, the Fleer variation fiasco of 1981 reared it's head, lead by the "C"raig Nettles error. The Fernando and Charboneau RCs in 1981 Topps and Fleer took off, but not really that much. It wasn't until 1984 with the Don Mattingly Donruss RC, and to a lesser extent, the Daryl Strawberry 1984 Topps and 1983 Topps Update, that things really exploded.

It was in the early 1980s, after the 1979 Wills and 1981 Nettles, along with Jim Beckett publishing his first annual price guide in 1979, that people began going back and picking up previous rookies, like Rose, Ryan, Schmidt, Aaron; pretty much everyone, and prices started going up. Card collecting hit the newstands in 1981 with Krause's Baseball Cards Magazine. Baseball Hobby News by Frank and Vivian Barning started publishing, adding to Sports Collectors' Digest and The Trader Speaks. The investor side of it began growing with columns by Tony Galovich. Then of course, the tripling of companies issuing cards (Fleer and Donruss joining Topps), certainly added to all the fun.

Steve

I started off a just few years after you, but my recollection is quite similar.

[glynparson]

I started in 1979 by then rookie cards were already a desirable thing. So at least 1979 but quite possibly earlier.

[clydepepper]

Don Mattingly 1984 was where the rookie card phenomenon was cemented, as far as I know.


+1

[glynparson]

Bob Horner, joe charboneau, Fernando, Steve sax, strawberry, Ron Kittle were all the rage prior to don mattingly. Mattingly was hot as hell in 1985-1990 ( yes I know 1984 is his rookie but he didn’t get sizzling hot TIL 1985). Maybe late in 1984. but the phenomenon predates this by at least 5 years.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Bob Horner, joe charboneau, Fernando, Steve sax, strawberry, Ron Kittle were all the rage prior to don mattingly. Mattingly was hot as hell in 1985-1990 ( yes I know 1984 is his rookie but he didn’t get sizzling hot TIL 1985. Maybe late in 1984. but the phenomenon predates this by at least 5 years.

And it just goes to show you how speculative buying new players is. Other than Mattingly, and even him to some extent, where are those cards now?

[con40]

I started collecting seriously in 1975. The first one I remember "taking off" was the 1979 Bump Wills variations. It was Topps' first major error/variation since the 1974 "Washington NL" cards of the Padres. The Bob Horner 1979 Topps RC was also popular.

After that, the Fleer variation fiasco of 1981 reared it's head, lead by the "C"raig Nettles error. The Fernando and Charboneau RCs in 1981 Topps and Fleer took off, but not really that much. It wasn't until 1984 with the Don Mattingly Donruss RC, and to a lesser extent, the Daryl Strawberry 1984 Topps and 1983 Topps Update, that things really exploded.

It was in the early 1980s, after the 1979 Wills and 1981 Nettles, along with Jim Beckett publishing his first annual price guide in 1979, that people began going back and picking up previous rookies, like Rose, Ryan, Schmidt, Aaron; pretty much everyone, and prices started going up. Card collecting hit the newstands in 1981 with Krause's Baseball Cards Magazine. Baseball Hobby News by Frank and Vivian Barning started publishing, adding to Sports Collectors' Digest and The Trader Speaks. The investor side of it began growing with columns by Tony Galovich. Then of course, the tripling of companies issuing cards (Fleer and Donruss joining Topps), certainly added to all the fun.

Steve

THIS! I started collecting in 1975 in the Boston area. Rookie cards were not a big deal in the mid '70s. Heck, no one was even interested in Eddie Murray rookies in 1978 despite his awesome start.

But in 1979, I remember Bob Horner cards were all the rage, even in my area. Willie Wilson as well. Then, in 1980, Rickey Henderson caught fire as the season wore on because he was having such an awesome second year.

That just fueled the rookie chase every year after that... 1981 was Fernandomania, 1982 was Ripken, 1983 was Boggs and the Stawberry extended rookie. And so on and so on.

[jerrys]

Card Prices Update (CPU) published by Mark Lewis was most influential in regard to attention given to rookie cards. The CPU was started in mid-1979 but I'm not sure how many years it lasted. The monthly issues kept an update on all Topps cards from 1951 to 1980 - Bowman cards from 1948 to 1955. There were other earlier baseball card issues included but a great deal of attention was given to first year cards of players. An alphabetical Rookie Card List was printed monthly given updated prices for dozens of major players’ cards.

[BradH]

I started actively attending card shows in 1981 (we didn't have a card shop in my town yet) and I remember the Henderson, Fernando and Brett & Yount rookies being a big deal. And most collectors and dealers referred to the '52 Topps Mantle as his "rookie" card. That drove me crazy as an 11-year-old and it irritates me still today.

But growing up in northern Indiana, I vividly remember how the 1983 Fleer Ron Kittle was all the rage. Many dealers were sealing it for $5 by late in the season and I remember a lot of them having signs on their table that they were buying Kittle rookies for $3.

[jchcollins]

I didn't get involved until the late 1980's, by which point rookie card mania was in full swing. My understanding of the phenomenon was that it was late 70's or early 80's when it really began to hit. I too went through the excitement then let down when I realized that RC's of players like Jose Canseco, Wally Joyner, and Gregg Jeffries were NOT going to pay for my college education. :mad:

Here is a more high level summary of my understanding of how these types of things worked in the evolution of the hobby:

*1960's and earlier - the hobby is in it's infancy. Monetary value not really ascribed to cards. Collectors trade with each other through the mail and in rare personal visits. Card condition much less of an issue, the focus is on completing sets and having a card at all.

*1970's - the hobby becomes more organized, but still has a very amateur flavor. Star cards for vintage (then just called "old" cards) first take a rise above the rest, but to a limited extent. If a common card was 10 cents, a Mantle or Willie Mays might be worth 75 cents or a dollar. Geez, I was born too late...

*Late 70's - early 1980's - the growing hobby becomes more professional - first national shows, first recognized price guides. This I would guess is when "rookie card mania" really sets in. People start to look at Joe C's and Ron Kittle's as investment cards. Oy.

*1990's and beyond - well, what you still see today. The hobby continues to evolve. RC's are perhaps more understood in terms of risk. Although now in the 2000's you have deliberate scarcities and that kind of thing.

I think the RC designation will always play a part in the hobby. Clearly has it's ups and downs.

[Steve_NY]

Everyone is correct -- definitely started in 1979 or thereabouts. I can remember running several shows in Long Island in the late 1970s where Al Chipurnoi (CHIP) would come in and sell us all the rookie cards everyone was asking for such as 1975 Brett, Younts, Rice, Carter, 1973 Schmidts, etc. He would invest in large quantities of potential rookies -- like 1,000s and some would materialize and others wouldn't. He eventually became a dealer and passed on a number of years ago. But I would pinpoint 1979 as the beginning of the rookie hunt.

[stevecarlton1972]

I start collecting in 1979 as a kid and the first rookie card that drew my attention was the 1986 Donruss Canseco Rookie. I'm sure the rookie craze started before that (as many people have stated) but that was the first moment I really started to look at cards as a business/investment and sadly it was never the same as the innocence of collecting was gone.

I only collected Topps from 1979-87 as my whole goal was to complete the set by getting pack after pack throughout the summer (my mom would buy me a pack of cards after every little league game and then we'd hit McDonalds). But in 1988 I started to collect Fleer, Donruss, and Score and eventually Upper Deck in the early 90's and it became all too much.

Part of me would love to go back and erase from the part of my brain that understands the phenomenon of rookie card values and be able to enjoy collecting sets again without caring about a card value.

[pingman59]

I vividly remember the 3-day summer extravaganza put on by the Chicagoland Sports Collector's Association in 1978. Bill Henderson had an 8-pocket sheet full of Hank Aaron rookie cards for $20 each. It was referred to as his "Rookie Card" but the rookie card connection didn't seem to go up through the years of the 1960's and 70's until 1979, which seems to be the posted theme here.

I had purchased a 500 count assorted lot of 1968 Topps BB from The Card Collector's Company in 1976 and got 125 different (4 x 125=500) minty fresh cards, of which there were 4 Johnny Bench rookie cards. I remember thinking, "Oh, there's Johnny Bench as a rookie." When I set up at my first CSCA show later in 1977, I sold many of those 68's as singles probably for a nickel or dime apiece and thought nothing of putting the Bench card in the stack. Maybe someone knew what they were doing then by buying them, but by 1979 I felt some regret selling those sharp Bench rookies.

[Rich Klein]

Jerry's post about CPU pushing Rookie cards to the next level is correct but the RC phenomenon had actually begun in 1977 when Mark Fidrych RC came out and people were bidding for that card.

But that was an one-off until 1979.

Rich

[Bcwcardz]

Maybe it's my age, but the 75 Rice ,Lynn and Brett where pretty hot rookies to chase. The Fernando Venezuela was too as mentioned earlier.



I know those 75s were hot in the early 80s but how about in 75-76? That predates me a bit. I didn’t start serious collecting until 82-83


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[rats60]

Jerry's post about CPU pushing Rookie cards to the next level is correct but the RC phenomenon had actually begun in 1977 when Mark Fidrych RC came out and people were bidding for that card.

But that was an one-off until 1979.

Rich

Rich, if you want to be technical, it started in 1974 with the Aaron RC when he broke Ruth's HR record.

[Rich Klein]

I was not yet in the hobby in 1974 when the Aaron boom hit, however; the Fidrych (and probably Lynn and Rice in 75 in the Boston Area) was certainly a card dealers were bidding on in 1977.

But the explosion did come with CPU and their hyping of RC's. And it certainly helped that Rickey Henderson had the year in 1980 at the same time his RC came out. After 1979/80 it was RC old and new out the door.

Rich

[rats60]

I was not yet in the hobby in 1974 when the Aaron boom hit, however; the Fidrych (and probably Lynn and Rice in 75 in the Boston Area) was certainly a card dealers were bidding on in 1977.

But the explosion did come with CPU and their hyping of RC's. And it certainly helped that Rickey Henderson had the year in 1980 at the same time his RC came out. After 1979/80 it was RC old and new out the door.

Rich

In 1974, Aaron became a 10-20 dollar card overnight. I remember because my brother had one. Before that, I don't remember anything being more than 1.00. I was getting several mail order catalogs, but it is possible that they just didn't have certain cards like a 52 Mantle.

I don't know how much Fidrych was, but I don't recall mail order guys asking more for it. It is possible that it was hot, but it would have been a short time. Mark was hurt in preseason and didn't pitch in 1977 until May 27 and then was hurt again pitching his last game for the season July 12. I imagine if he had a 1976 card, it would have been a 1.00 card during the season.

Lynn and Rice were .15 and .20 in the 1st Beckett annual. Brett and Yount .08. Henderson and Valenzuela became 1.00 cards as rookies. I would put the 1979-1981 time period as when the rookie card really started taking hold. Although by 1981, Brett was a 10.00 card after his 1980 season, but Robin Yount was still .08 until he took off in his 1982 MVP season. By 1984, prospecting had taken hold with people buying 100 count lots of no name rookies hoping they would break out like Ryne Sandberg did in 1984.

[Rich Klein]

I don't have them anymore but there were a decent amount of ads in SCD and a few in TTS bidding on the Fidrych RC. I think after July that calmed down but the Bird was so popular that I suspect non baseball card collectors wanted that card as well.

Rich

[deweyinthehall]

For perspective, I have a copy of Sport Americana #1 in front of me - it was published in 1979. Looking through it - in the 1975 set, the 4 player rookie cards all priced at .03, except Lynn (.15) and Rice (.20). In the 1973 set, all rookie high number cards, including Schmidt, were .12.

In general, because older cards had higher value, a player's "rookie" card, before we called them that, generally priced higher.

What people have said about the Fleer Update Gooden and the 1984 Donruss Mattingly is all true, but I also remember the Rosen "find" of 1952s in 1986 had a big impact. The term "rookie" card had already sort of been defined by then, and all of a sudden we had maybe 100 mint Mantle rookies on the market. I think it was a perfect storm of players (Gooden, Mattingly) location (New York market teams) and the Mantle thing (it didn't hurt that Rosen was a self-promoter and achieved something like celebrity status for a brief moment) that really drove things to the next level and started the whole notion of "I can pay for Jimmy's college with baseball cards!".

I seem to recall Fritsch selling Fleer Update sets at over $1000 per before things began to settle down - but hey, Larry Fritsch always marked things up a tad.

[Exhibitman]

I've been collecting for over 40 years and RCs have always carried a premium. In the 'old days' a lot of collectors would try to complete runs of favorite athletes, which meant RC determination and chasing. Beckett fomented the RC craze by listing them in its magazine. It was pretty much a postwar card collecting thing until the 1990s when people really started paying up for vintage rookies. What has changed over the last 20 years is the magnitude of the price differential between the RC and the other cards. In 1997, for example, I paid $1100 for a nice nm Aaron RC. A comparable 55 would have been about 25% of that. Now, it is closer to 10%.

[tedzan]

I got back into the hobby in 1977. Back then there was a hint of the rookie card interest. The "craze" really started here in the greater Philadelphia area with these two events.....

1....Circa Summer of 1980 when Bob & Rob (two local card dealers) of Warrington, PA auctioned off 3 so-called 1952 TOPPS Mantle "ROOKIE" cards for a grand total of $10,000.
This unprecedented sale went nationwide in the news media, and created quite a stir in the hobby.

2....In 1981, at the famous Willow Grove (PA) Show, dealers began hyping 1963 TOPPS Pete Rose cards. Rose had approx. 3600 Hits by then, and it was evident that Rose would
beat Ty Cobb's record of 4189 Hits in 4 years. Rose rookie cards in 1979 sold for about $5. I recall selling Rose rookie cards at the Willow Grove Show for $100 in 1981-1982. For
$200 in 1983. And, $300 in 1984.
I would bring as many as 6 - 10 Rose rookies to these Shows and they would all be sold on Friday night.

That's the story Folks.


TED Z

T206 Reference (http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=237816)
.

[Exhibitman]

The 1952 Mantle isn't a rookie card, guys. It isn't part of the RC phenomenon.

[rats60]

The 1952 Mantle isn't a rookie card, guys. It isn't part of the RC phenomenon.

At the time it was considered his Topps rookie card. It wasn't until a few years later that most corrected their error.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Greg Jefferies.

Tom Goodwin

Darryl Strawberry Traded
1987 Will Clark

enough said

[Peter_Spaeth]

The 1952 Mantle isn't a rookie card, guys. It isn't part of the RC phenomenon.

Is that so?

[inceptus]

A small wrinkle: I grew up on Long Island in the 70s, attending card shows, visiting the nascent shops, and doing in-person deals through the Pennysaver, and I seem to recall paying a premium for MVP/Cy Young-year cards before rookie cards became a thing...

[Rich Klein]

A small wrinkle: I grew up on Long Island in the 70s, attending card shows, visiting the nascent shops, and doing in-person deals through the Pennysaver, and I seem to recall paying a premium for MVP/Cy Young-year cards before rookie cards became a thing...

The MVP's got popular after the 1975 subset honoring the 1951-74 MVP's; Cy Youngs and ROY were also popular. and that was also because the CPU noted all that as well.

[Hot Springs Bathers]

As an avid collector 40 years ago I remember being astonished at the first price changes I saw for "rookie" cards. Believe it or not Bob Horner was the first to cause a ripple then Rickey Henderson and Fernando blew the lid off!

[irv]

Is that so?

Beautiful card, Peter!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Beautiful card, Peter!

Yes and whoever owns it is doubtless pleased with it.;)

[irv]

Yes and whoever owns it is doubtless pleased with it.;)

LOL. :D

Thought it was your's.

[Exhibitman]

Do you always believe whatever you read, Peter?

[mortimer brewster]

I started collecting cards as a kid around 1971.In those early years there wasn't a lot of talk about rookie cards...although at that time I was so young I may have missed it.Anybody remember around the time people really were giving a premium to those cards and did a certain player start the craze?
Scott

The rookie card craze started in the late 1970's by card dealers. They bought up all Mantle rookies, Satchel Page rookies and Aaron rookies etc and added a premium price to them. By 1981 they were trying to pass off Boog Powell and Tony Oliva baseball cards as being just as desirable.

This topic was covered extensively in the Sporting News 1981 Baseball yearbook.

I never understood the rookie card thing. But fellow collectors fell for it.

[seanofjapan]

At the time it was considered his Topps rookie card. It wasn't until a few years later that most corrected their error.

I do remember Beckett for quite a few years designated cards as FTC for first Topps card, FDC for first Donruss card, etc. I suspect that was entirely driven by the need to provide some category for the 52 Mantle, then having to apply it to every other non rookie card of a player appearing on a company’s card for the first time.

[Rich Klein]

And just as much for those couple of years where players made their 1st appearance in an update/traded set. Think 1984 Gooden, Puckett, Clemens, etc. Their 1st Donruss card would then be 1985. Man I miss those simpler days .

[jchcollins]

This might provide some insight:

https://youtu.be/VJ2vem9rQhE

[mrmopar]

The ad that they feature in the video, I remember those types very well.
I used to spend hours scouring them and dreaming about getting the complete runs of the better players, but always finding that I couldn't afford the piles of $6 or $15 price tags (or something crazy high like $50 for an elusive card like a 67 B. Robbby), rather settling for 50 cent to $1 cards instead. Not sure I ever actually bought any though, as I would have been pre-teen at the time. I probably just circled those I wanted or filled out those order forms and never sent any money. Wasted opportunities there!

This might provide some insight:

https://youtu.be/VJ2vem9rQhE

[Exhibitman]

I thought this was fun: I recently had this exchange with some ass-clown on eBay re a 1926 Greiling Max Schmeling RC:

Him: I know that you “know your stuff” and the grading companies “consult you” but this is clearly not Carpentiers rookie. The ever abundant 1922-1923 Amalgamated Press Sporting Champions is.

I replied: I completely agree: it is not Carpentier's RC. It is, however, Max Schmeling's. And FWIW Carpentier appears in the 1915 Cope's set so the 1922-23 cards are not even his first British issues.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibitman/dropins/Cranston%20mike%20drop.gif

[jchcollins]

But...but, if we had never had the RC phenomenon, we couldn't still today enjoy the countless people who feel the need to point out that a '52 Topps #311 is NOT his rookie card!...:confused: