Trout Rookie Boom
 

With the recent price boom of trout rookies I’m curious on what people think of his first professional card. 2010 Cedar Rapids Kernals perfect game. According to PSA there are from 1000 to 3000 total copies.

I'm confused. Aren't the 2009 Bowmans professional cards? He's in an Angels uniform in both.

Arthur

Plus, card is not made by Topps. And is a minor league card. It will never gain mainstream appeal.

I think any Trout minor league card is a good investment, but the one you really want to get is the 2010 DAV card. Much rarer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

2009 and 2010 Topps and Bowman issues only, imo. The others, including Panini and Donruss, haven't taken off like other issues and I'm guessing/betting they won't

IMO branding is very important with investment-level cards. Like it or not, Topps and it's Bowman are the only dogs in that fight. I don't collect Panini or current Leaf and Donruss issues.

I do collect some of the minor league issues, but most of them are Topps Heritage.

As I stated, that's just my opinion.

Have to completely disagree with the statement minor league cards will never be mainstream. I heard the samething with postcards a decade ago and before that it was 19th century and T206 cards. Maybe nitche is the new mainstream.

Minor league cards are the players first professional card. They sign a contract and get paid a paycheck to play in the Minors. Branding is important and thats why many minor league sets can be obtained, at the stadium.

I like having the players first Pro card. Most minor league cards have a population of under 10k. Keeping on topic here about Trout. The 2010 Perfect Game set as it has a low population and you dont have to worry about an additional print run to happen later, as it has Perfect Game logo. The Trout DAV Set has three different colors as I recall, and if you do a quick search you can see they are readily more available than the PG set.

When collectors/investors were buying up all the Topps and 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey rookies, I was gobbling up the 1988 Best San Beradino Platinum Griffeys which came in a sealed team bag and had a population of 1300. Look at the Ricky Henderson 1977 Chong minor league card. Low pop and good luck finding one. Cal Ripken has a two really rare minor league cards in the 1980 Charlotte Os. The orange version (police give away) is under 50 pop and the blue version (radio station give away) is around 300 pop. How many rookie Topps did they make of Cal Ripken? Try to guess it within a million. My favorite is Derek Jeter. How many people have his Little Sun HS card? They came in team sets of a production run of 3000. Each set has a limited eddition number on it, and each case contained a team set that had an autograph in it!

I view the Mike Trout minor league card in the same company above. Only upside. I own a couple, as I buy the factory unopen sealed bags with the hologram still on the bag. The only other way to buy is like what the OP posted which is graded. But I hate paying SMR price.

One last thought is there are many rare minor league cards that have only gone up over time. Babe Ruth Baltimore News comes to mind along with Joe Dimaggio Zeenuts. Seems stuff people don't collect at the time they were distributed, are the items that increase the most, as time go by.

Minor league can be complicated to understand whats rare and whats not. But once you know it, then happy hunting as there are many treasures out there to be found and bought. The biggest risk in buying active players is, the player gets hurt and his career doesnt last as long, and doesnt make the HOF. Worse yet, he gets in trouble for doing something he shouldn't. Its all best guess. I think Trout is a great buy at this point while you still can get him at an affordable price.

Thanks for all the different opinions and thanks for the knowledge JC!

IMO now is the time sell Trout.

I maybe wrong but for every 5 trout cards I have I’m selling 3-4.

Such a amazing ball player.

Caveat emptor on minor league cards. A number of originally very scarce cards of future stars have been reprinted from the original plates over the years.

Best always,

Larry

+1 on the assessment of Trout as a player, as things now stand. However, caveat emptor should an electronic umpire for balls and strikes be adopted, as has been discussed. Even though umps know or have been advised that the high fastball is the pitcher's defense against these "launch angle," low average, high strikeout guys with good homer totals,and are calling the high strike more often, they still do not consistently call it anywhere near the top of the zone. Trout is cumulatively hitting .213 on pitches in the upper third of the strike zone. Since he is well aware of his difficulties with good fastballs 3-5" above the belt, his solution thus far has been to lay off them. But that won't cut it with an electronic ump, as these pitches are clearly strikes.

Best of luck to you in your collecting,

Larry

Do you yave any examples of this? I do know the Mark Mcquire Modesto A's was reprinted after that historic year when he and Sosa were having the HR battle. Just curious what else has been duplicated from the original print plate. That is true you have to be concerned with that. I don't want to get this confused with reprints which are not authorized and you can tell a difference. The 80 Ripken, and 92 Jeter comes to mind. There are differences to tell them apart.

This is why I like the Trout Perfect Game card as having the logo on it. You don't see many if them and to my knowledge there has never been another print run. Hopefully the plate has been smashed or bleached washed lol

The Modesto McGwire and one minor league Mattingly are among those I remember having been reprinted. I think the McGwire original run was 250 or so. Once he started hitting tons of homers and becoming Bunyonesque, they were literally everywhere.

Good luck on your collecting. I too have many Griffey minor league cards, as well as Frank Thomas.

Best wishes,

Larry