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Posted By: Gilbert Maines

The first card issued for a player could predate his MLB rookie year by a significant margin, and could depict his Minor (or other) league career.

A Rookie card should show the player as he appeared during his rookie season, independent of the date of issuance of the card. For example, if Paige's early cards actually were photos taken prior to his first MLB game, then they would be PROOKIE cards.

Tying a status of "rookie card" to the time of card issuance does not seem as accurate as tying that status to the time of the photo being taken. IMO.