[steve B]

Becketts guidelines for what makes a "rookie card" don't have much to do with what's actually a players first card. They don't count minor league cards or cards from sets that aren't major and national. By those guidelines I suppose the Goudey is about right.

My cynical defenition based on theirs is this-
whatever card exists for a particualr player that's early enough to be called a rookie card but also common enough that dealers can hype it as being worth more and actually find some to sell.

Steve B