Baseball Hall of Fame Rookie Cards Discussion

[bcbgcbrcb]

In an effort not to lose potentially valuable information months/years from now inside a thread entitled Bob Feller Rookie Cards, I thought it best to continue the ongoing discussion about Baseball Hall of Fame rookie cards in a separate thread whereby the appropriate search will be able to locate it. Although the conversation might center around Hall of Famers, the same criteria would apply for all rookie cards.

While there is a pretty widely accepted list for most post-war HOF rookie cards thanks to Beckett including the RC notations in their monthly/annual price guides for many years, the same cannot be said for pre-war rookie cards. In my opinion, this facet of vinatge card collecting has been widely underappreciated and under-collected (if that is a word). As most collectors who might have thought about trying it would likely attest, there is no consensus on which cards to go after for each player. When I came to this realization back in the late 2000's, I thought it would be a great idea to share much of the knowledge that I had acquired during years of research while assembling my own card collection. That's when Lyman Hardeman and I got together and compiled the webpage on the OldCardboard website which has been the go to source for identifying HOF rookie card candidates since 2010. Derek Granger's more recently created website looks fabulous, kudos to all of his time and effort in accumulating all of the images that he has. I'm sure that when finished it will surely be a gold mine for rookie card information and leave many choices up to the collector.

Since that time, collectors have made it known through card values (based on how much they are willing to pay for certain things) as to which items meet the definition of a rookie card, with "card" being the key word. As we can just about all agree unanimously, "cards" bring higher values than original photos, paper premiums, etc. Thus a W600 Wagner in nice condition sells for $50K+ and an E107 Wagner for easily $50K+ for over a decade now. Going back in time, an M101-1 or National Copper Plate Wagner could be had for $10K or so. After the recent boom, that might not be the case any longer but I'm also sure that the E107 in decent condition can't be found for under $100K any more either.

So, I strongly believe that the first step in identifying rookie cards, especially pre-war, is to have a consensus where the vast majority of collectors agree on what constitutes a card and what does not. Working towards that goal will make it possible one day to have that definitive rookie card list available as opposed to those trying to find fault with the system and arguing every parameter that is trying to be established by the majority of us collectors. I believe that if you break down the parameters that I have previously identified one by one, you will find that each and every one makes sense and there might not be a better alternative. If there is a better one though, then we all should try and champion the cause to follow that through.

The first parameter that I created for identifying rookie cards is that neither minor league nor amateur cards be included. My reasoning for this is that they have their own clearly defined designation as being pre-rookie cards. This includes things such as Zee-nuts, PCL Exhibits, etc. This in no way deters the value of these kinds of items as many are more highly sought after than their MLB counterparts, it is simply something that does not meet the definition of what we are trying to define as a rookie card.

Secondly, no team cards are considered to be rookie cards as each individual player image can be so small as to possibly not even be discernable. Since Topps, the leading card manufacturer for over 70 years now, used this definition over the years limiting rookie cards to a maximum of 4 players on a card, I have done the same for rookie card qualification.

Next, I have chosen not to include 1-of-a-kind items for the obvious reason that this entire endeavor is being done to grow the interest in pursuing pre-war rookie cards and an impossible task as searching for only one item in existence is only going to frustrate the collector. Instead, I move on to the next possible option going in chronological order. Of course, if you are fortunate enough to own the "true" rookie for that player, kudos to you but then no one else can.

The next item that I address is the exclusion of stickers, stamps, paper premiums, etc. as the various item names indicate, they are not cards and whether or not they are encapsulated by a TPG company does not change that.

Another requirement for my rookie card qualification is that the card must be catalogued. Typically, the old Standard Catalogue of Vintage Baseball Cards is the go to source for this. Unfortunately it's been a number of years since the most recent update to this previously annual issue. Now that Bob Lemke is no longer around RIP, I guess Krause never found anyone to pick up the editing duties.

Finally, I do not include team issued items as being considered for rookie card status. Most of these have been paper photos over the years and are not cards. Some did issue postcards which makes them more of a gray area but since they are not part of any kind of advertising or regionally/nationally distributed set, I choose not to count them. This is probably the one parameter that could be argued either way but mostly comes into play with post-war rookies and the main focus of this entire endeavor is to identify pre-war rookie cards.

When Mr. Lemke was still at Krause, I had conversations with him about identifying pre-war rookie cards in the Standard Catalogue. While he was okay with doing that for a few consensus cards such as the Sporting News Ruth, the Play Ball Ted Williams, etc., by and large he wasn't comfortable enough to take on the challenge of going further with the process and, thus, things never moved forward from there.

It is my hope that one day, we can still make this happen but will take a lot of support from well-respected individuals in the hobby such as we have here on the Net54 board. What are everyone's thoughts on this topic, do we agree, disagree, etc.?

[BobC]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

In an effort not to lose potentially valuable information months/years from now inside a thread entitled Bob Feller Rookie Cards, I thought it best to continue the ongoing discussion about Baseball Hall of Fame rookie cards in a separate thread whereby the appropriate search will be able to locate it. Although the conversation might center around Hall of Famers, the same parameters would apply for all rookie cards.

While there is a pretty widely accepted list for most post-war HOF rookie cards thanks to Beckett including the RC notations in their monthly/annual price guides for many years, the same cannot be said for pre-war rookie cards. In my opinion, this facet of vinatge card collecting has been widely underappreciated and under-collected (if that is a word). As most collectors who might have thought about trying it would likely attest, there is no consensus on which cards to go after for each player. When I came to this realization back in the late 2000's, I thought it would be a great idea to share much of the knowledge that I had acquired during years of research in compiling my own card collection. That's when Lyman Hardeman and I got together and compiled the webpage on the OldCardboard website which has been the go to source for identifying HOF rookie card candidates since 2010. Derek Granger's more recently created website looks fabulous, kudos to all of his time and effort in accumulating all of the images that he has. I'm sure that when finished it will surely be a gold mine for rookie card information and leave many choices up to the collector.

Since that time, collectors have made it known through card values (based on how much they are willing to pay for certain things) as to which items meet the definition of a rookie card, with "card" being the key word. As we can just about all agree unanimously, "cards" bring higher values than original photos, paper premiums, etc. Thus a W600 Wagner in nice condition sells for $50K+ and an E107 Wagner for easily $50K+ for over a decade now. Going back in time, an M101-1 or National Copper Plate Wagner could be had for $10K or so. After the recent boom, that might not be the case any longer but I'm also sure that the E107 in decent condition can't be found for under $100K any more either.

So, I strongly believe that the first step in identifying rookie cards, especially pre-war, is to have a consensus where the vast majority of collectors agree on what constitutes a card and what does not. Working towards that goal will make it possible one day to have that definitive rookie card list available as opposed to those trying to find fault with the system and arguing every parameter that is trying to be established by the majority of us collectors. I believe that if you break down the parameters that I have previously identified one by one, you will find that each and every one makes sense and there might not be a better alternative. If there is a better one though, then we all should try and champion the cause to follow that through.

The first parameter that I created for identifying rookie cards is that neither minor league nor amateur cards be included. My reasoning for this is that they have their own clearly defined designation as being pre-rookie cards. This includes things such as Zee-nuts, PCL Exhibits, etc. This in no way deters the value of these kinds of items as many are more highly sought after than their MLB counterparts, it is simply something that does not meet the definition of what we are trying to define as a rookie card.

Secondly, no team cards are considered to be rookie cards as each individual player image can be so small as to possibly not even be discernable. Since Topps, the leading card manufacturer for over 70 years now, used this definition over the years limiting rookie cards to a maximum of 4 players on a card, I have done the same for rookie card qualification.

Next, I have chosen not to include 1-of-a-kind items for the obvious reason that this entire endeavor is being done to grow the interest in pursuing pre-war rookie cards and an impossible task as searching for only one item in existence is only going to frustrate the collector. Instead, I move on to the next possible option going in chronological order. Of course, if you are fortunate enough to own the "true" rookie for that player, kudos to you but then no one else can.

The next item that I address is the exclusion of stickers, stamps, paper premiums, etc. as the various item names indicate. they are not cards and whether or not they are encapsulated by a TPG company does not change that.

Another requirement for my rookie card qualification is that the card must be catalogued. Typically, the old Standard Catalogue of Vintage Baseball Cards is the go to source for this. Unfortunately it's been a number of years since the most recent update to this previously annual issue. Now that Bob Lemke is no longer around RIP, I guess Krause never found anyone to pick up the editing duties.

Finally, I do not include team issued items as being considered for rookie card status. Most of these have been paper photos over the years and are not cards. Some did issue postcards which makes them more of a gray area but since they are not part of any kind of advertising or regionally/nationally distributed set, I choose not to count them. This is probably the one parameter that could be argued either way but mostly comes into play with post-war rookies and the main focus of this entire endeavor is to identify pre-war rookie cards.

When Mr. Lemke was still at Krause, I had conversations with him about identifying pre-war rookie cards in the Standard Catalogue. While he was okay with doing that for a few consensus cards such as the Sporting News Ruth, the Play Ball Ted Williams, etc., by and large he wasn't comfortable enough to take on the challenge of going further with the process and, thus, things never moved forward from there.

It is my hope that one day, we can still make this happen but will take a lot of support from well-respected individuals in the hobby such as we have here on the Net54 board. What are everyone's thoughts on this topic, do we agree, disagree, etc.?

Great topic Phil. The modern definition of a rookie card stems IMO from the rise of the Baby Boomer generation in step with the start of Bowman and Topps sets that have been ongoing for years and years. Prior to those sets, the longest continuous sets put out by anyone were about three years, and that was it (Playball 1939, 1940, and 1041). So the more modern definition of a rookie card was based on those post war Topps/Bowman sets. And even if there was another Topps specialty (ie: Doubleheader, Hocus Focus, etc.) or other regional/limited issue set put out the same year, or even in a prior year, the nationally distributed Topps/Bowman sets set the standard of which card was considered a player's true rookie card. This thinking was also promoted IMO by the people putting out the Beckett and other price guides starting back with the hobby boom in the 80s to make sure there were tons of these various rookie cards for dealers to be able to sell. To say there was no relationship and support between dealers and the likes of Beckett would be foolish IMO. And those early price guides were really geared toward the Baby Boomer generation who were mostly focused on the cards from their youth, the 50s and 60s Topps/Bowman cards. Not the earlier vintage and pre-war cards. And thus I think you have a problem.

Just as today's baseball fans look at advanced stats and other metrics that are geared more towards the modern game and modern players, it is definitely biased against older players, especially pre-war dead-ball era players and 19th century players. The game was played differently then, under different rules and conditions and context, just like the baseball card and collectibles issued before the advent of the Topps/Bowman era took over were also issued in a different manner and context. For example, talk about a rookie card having to come from a nationally issued set makes perfect sense in the Topps/Bowman era as they sold cards all over the country. But back before then, major league baseball itself was just a regional sport in truth, with all 16 teams basically no farther West than the Mississippi, and no farther South than St. Louis, MO. So is it really fair and proper to use the same definitions from the last 74-75 years since the Bowman/Leaf sets first came out, of what constitutes a nationally distributed set and the cards eligible to be rookie cards from it, and impose those same standards on the cards and other issues for the approximately 80 years before those late 40s Bowman/Leaf sets were first issued? Ever since the late 40s when the Bowman/Leaf sets first started coming out, there has been at least one nationally issued, continuing card set put out every single year. Prior to that, what is/was considered as being a nationally issued card set was not put out every single year since the first pro-team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings, was formed in 1869, through the 1947 season before the Leaf/Bowman sets started coming out in the following years.

I've heard and seen the arguments about who is the greatest this or that of all-time in baseball, and have said that to properly compare and rate players using different standards, measures, and context over the differing years and eras is not fair or proper. In my thinking, you can only reasonably determine who may have been the best by looking at and comparing just the players in particular eras, subject to similar rules, equipment, context, and so on. Otherwise, you end up getting the idiots who will try to tell you that Hyun Jin-Ryu was a much better pitcher than Warren Spahn ever was. I hate to say it, but I think you have to not push for one standard definition of a "card" and a "rookie card" over the entire history of major league baseball. From 1948 going forward, yes, you can use the base cards in the nationally distributed sets that have come out from the major card manufacturers every single year since then to define your rookie cards. But prior to 1948, they did not issue those types of sets every single year, and thus I think you may have to modify your definition of what constitutes not just a "rookie card", but what constitutes a "card" itself.

For example, you mentioned not considering paper premiums, stamps, stickers, etc. as not being "cards", per se. But what about games? There were various issues with baseball players that were issued as playing cards in a game, and not issued separately or in packs. Do you include game cards as cards eligible for rookie card status then, like the Tom Barker, National Game, and Polo Grounds sets? And if so, then what about the 1921-30 Major League Die-Cut game piece/cards, shouldn't those be considered as "cards" as well then? Are the 1921-30 ML Die-Cuts really that different from say the 1934-36 Batter-Up or the 1937 O-Pee-Chee cards? Or do you then exclude the Batter-Ups and OPCs as eligible "cards" for "rookie card" status as well because they are die-cuts themselves? And that adds another question regarding the 1904 Allegheny Card Co, cards. The 1904 Allegheny Card Co. cards are supposedly a game card issue as well, not issued specifically as separate collectible cards. And to top it off, only a single proof/test set was issued, so only one Allegheny card of each player exists. You had said that there could be no 1-of-1s in your rookie card definition, but to my recollection, isn't the Allegheny card of HOFer Frank Selee the only card of his out there, at least while he was still alive and actively managing in the majors? So, if the Allegheny Card Co. card doesn't count in your definition, now he doesn't have any rookie card at all, yet a "card" of him does exist. How do you explain that away?

Because of this lack of continuous, nationally distributed baseball card sets for over half the time MLB has been in existence, I think you have to at least bifurcate your rules and definition of what constitutes a "card" and therefore a "rookie card". For anything prior to 1948, I believe you have to be more inclusive and flexible, and in some cases collectible premiums, stamps, stickers, pennants, silks, die-cuts, and the like, actually should be considered as potentially on par with "cards", and thus also eligible for "rookie card" consideration. For example, M101-2 Sporting News Supplements were issued as separate, easily detachable/removable inserts in issues of the Sporting news magazines, and were fully intended to be collected as a set. Helmar Stamps, German Transfers, and BF2 Pennants were issued as collectibles in a set also, along with many other different and oddball type issues from back in the day. Now postcards were not typically issued as collectible sets, CDVs and cabinets were not issued as collectible sets, and game cards were not technically issued as collectible sets either. So where do you draw the line(s)?

For pre Leaf/Bowman/Topps years, i think you have to use an entirely different set of rules and definitions as to what constitutes a collectible/card since there were no nationally distributed card sets coming out every single year like there was after 1947, through to today. Just like the game of baseball has different eras, rules and the way the game was played, so do the collectibles/cards that were issued for the major league ballplayers have different circumstances and eras as well. Also, why continue the modern bias. Instead of imposing the modern card definitions of "cards" and "rookies" onto earlier years, remember that those earlier years before Leaf/Bowman/Topps sets started coming out are actually greater (80+/- versus 74-75) than the modern era of continuous nationally distributed sets. So why aren't you maybe using more relaxed definitions and rules based on the earlier, longer period before 1948 to define what a "card" and a "rookie card" is? Again, I disagree with this often unfair, modern bias that was established starting back in the 80s, based primarily on the Baby Boomers and the emergence/boom of the hobby. And back then, the modern bias was even more disparaging as there was still 80+/- years since MLB collectibles started coming out up till the Leaf/Bowman/Topps sets started being produced, but that modern Leaf/Bowman/Topps era was only around 35-40 years old then, barely half the time of the earlier collecting era. So why did the much shorter era's definition of "cards" and "rookie cards" get to define what those items were in the much longer era preceding it? Seems to me the Beckett's, Tuff Stuffs, and other early baseball guides and booklets pushed collectors to an improper and incorrect set of definitions and thinking. If they could honestly say with a straight face that they thought a '33 Goudey was Ruth's rookie card, they never deserved to tell and dictate anything to anyone in the hobby as to what a "rookie card" was, IMO.

[Lorewalker]

Always a great topic when this has been discussed. There have been a couple of great threads on this. For pre-war issues I am just not sure there will ever be a consensus even if an appointed and respected group of people laid down the law.

I think Phil has put a great deal of thought into this and is far more of an expert on this than I am but I have a very liberal view on what a rookie card is in the pre-war category. I think it frustrates each of Phil's parameters, in fact. I am not a rookie card collector but when I am seeking a rookie card it is pretty much the earliest appearance by that player that was intended to be distributed for sale or to advertise or promote the player, a product or the team he played for so that item does not have to be a traditional card but preferably made of paper. Size and population would be irrelevant.

[rjackson44]

Reading what bob c says its like going to school thx Bob appreciate it octavio

[rats60]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Always a great topic when this has been discussed. There have been a couple of great threads on this. For pre-war issues I am just not sure there will ever be a consensus even if an appointed and respected group of people laid down the law.

I think Phil has put a great deal of thought into this and is far more of an expert on this than I am but I have a very liberal view on what a rookie card is in the pre-war category. I think it frustrates each of Phil's parameters, in fact. I am not a rookie card collector but when I am seeking a rookie card it is pretty much the earliest appearance by that player that was intended to be distributed for sale or to advertise or promote the player, a product or the team he played for so that item does not have to be a traditional card but preferably made of paper. Size and population would be irrelevant.

The rookie card definition was created for the Topps/Bowman era cards. It doesn't really apply to prewar. I don't think there will ever be a consensus. With prewar you are talking about a player's first card not a rookie card and your definition is more fitting in my opinion.

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by Lorewalker

Always a great topic when this has been discussed. There have been a couple of great threads on this. For pre-war issues I am just not sure there will ever be a consensus even if an appointed and respected group of people laid down the law.

I think Phil has put a great deal of thought into this and is far more of an expert on this than I am but I have a very liberal view on what a rookie card is in the pre-war category. I think it frustrates each of Phil's parameters, in fact. I am not a rookie card collector but when I am seeking a rookie card it is pretty much the earliest appearance by that player that was intended to be distributed for sale or to advertise or promote the player, a product or the team he played for so that item does not have to be a traditional card but preferably made of paper. Size and population would be irrelevant.

You crushed it with this answer!!

If anyone is interested in the most current and up-to-date checklist (with images) of the earliest “cards” for each and every Cooperstown HOFer, please check out my website:

https://imageevent.com/derekgranger/hofearliest

It’s still a work in progress, but it certainly allows people with differing views of what constitutes a “rookie” or what constitutes a “card” to find the item that’s right for them. Feel free to contact me directly with proposed updates or with scans/photos I might be missing.

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

You crushed it with this answer!!

If anyone is interested in the most current and up-to-date checklist (with images) of the earliest “cards” for each and every Cooperstown HOFer, please check out my website:

https://imageevent.com/derekgranger/hofearliest

It’s still a work in progress, but it certainly allows people with differing views of what constitutes a “rookie” or what constitutes a “card” to find the item that’s right for them. Feel free to contact me directly with proposed updates or with scans/photos I might be missing.

Wow great website thanks for sharing the LINK. Looks like a labor of love

[Seven]

I think it's a healthy discussion to have and something we can constantly go back and fourth with. I can only offer my limited perspective, as many of the pre-war cards that I seek are out of my price range.

I think due to quality control, the myriad of different companies and the countless sets that were put out before the war, I think it's almost impossible to pin down what a "Rookie Card" should be.

[Lorewalker]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

You crushed it with this answer!!

If anyone is interested in the most current and up-to-date checklist (with images) of the earliest “cards” for each and every Cooperstown HOFer, please check out my website:

https://imageevent.com/derekgranger/hofearliest

It’s still a work in progress, but it certainly allows people with differing views of what constitutes a “rookie” or what constitutes a “card” to find the item that’s right for them. Feel free to contact me directly with proposed updates or with scans/photos I might be missing.

As did you, Derek, with that website. Outstanding effort. Just spent time perusing. There are some awesome pieces there and a great deal of information. Many thanks!!!

[Peter_Spaeth]

Phil and Derek are invaluable resources. Hal Lewis contributed a lot to these discussions back in the day as well. At the end of the day, there are too many subjective judgments that go into the determination for most prewar players for there to ever be a conxensus, as has been said, but it's always very interesting to discuss.

[BobbyStrawberry]

Originally Posted by h2oya311

You crushed it with this answer!!

If anyone is interested in the most current and up-to-date checklist (with images) of the earliest “cards” for each and every Cooperstown HOFer, please check out my website:

https://imageevent.com/derekgranger/hofearliest

It’s still a work in progress, but it certainly allows people with differing views of what constitutes a “rookie” or what constitutes a “card” to find the item that’s right for them. Feel free to contact me directly with proposed updates or with scans/photos I might be missing.

Thanks so much for this!

[Rhotchkiss]

Is this Thorpe’s rookie “card”?

[Seven]

Originally Posted by BobC

I've heard and seen the arguments about who is the greatest this or that of all-time in baseball, and have said that to properly compare and rate players using different standards, measures, and context over the differing years and eras is not fair or proper. In my thinking, you can only reasonably determine who may have been the best by looking at and comparing just the players in particular eras, subject to similar rules, equipment, context, and so on. Otherwise, you end up getting the idiots who will try to tell you that Hyun Jin-Ryu was a much better pitcher than Warren Spahn ever was. .

Almost completely unrelated to the discussion, but I had a healthy chuckle when I saw this part of the post. Couldn't agree more!

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Seven

Almost completely unrelated to the discussion, but I had a healthy chuckle when I saw this part of the post. Couldn't agree more!

Oh, that isn't a made up story, that actually happened and someone actually said that in a different thread on the forum a while back. Modern statisticians, with their modern biases, thinking most all modern players are better than all the older players. They refuse to take into consideration the context and all the other variables when comparing things from era to era in baseball, just like I brought up the thing about having to consider such differences and variables when comparing what is or isn't a rookie card, or even just a card for that matter, from really different eras in the collecting hobby as well.

To truly compare players from different eras, you would have to have a modern player actually born back in the day of an earlier baseball era, and grow up and learn to play in that earlier era, to actually be able to tell if they would have been better than an older era player or not. And the same thing with an older player and having them born today to see how they would turn out with all the modern advantages of science, medicine, equipment, and so on while ending up playing in the games of today. Context is a huge thing, and to my thinking can't be simply defined and measured with some numbers or mathematical formulas. And sort of the same thing with cards and rookie cards. You can't just take the Bowman/Topps/Leaf post 1947 modern era definition of a rookie card being one from a main, nationally distributed set, and simply apply that same definition to everything in the hobby going back to the 1860's. Otherwise, you end up with Babe Ruth's rookie card(s) being from the 1933 Goudey set after all. LOL

So in truth, this isn't completely unrelated to the discussion at all, as it illustrates and shows how thinking and biases from one area, in regards to baseball and the game itself, can be so easily transferred and refocused on another area, such as baseball card collecting.

[BobC]

.

[BobC]

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on if foreign cards can be considered as a player's rookie card then? I imagine that question can get a bit more interesting in regard to Negro League players who maybe had cards printed while they were in Cuban or other foreign leagues, and not really in any mainstream American card/collectible issues.

I guess the question would/could come down to maybe whether the card/collectible issue pictured them with what is considered a major league team or not. I would assume a card depicting someone playing in a Winter league, and/or on a Latin, Japanese, or other foreign team, would not be considered as a major league card/collectible. And therefore, if your definition of a rookie card was solely based on it being a major league image and representation, those cards would never be considered a player's rookie card. But if your definition of a rookie card included a player's first ever depiction on a card/collectible as a professional player (or as a minor leaguer or amateur if you had an even more relaxed rookie card definition), then I can see some people considering such foreign cards as rookie cards after all. Depends a lot on the collector themself, and what they think, and not necessarily on what the majority of others in the hobby think or believe after all, IMO.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by BobC

Anyone have any thoughts or opinions on if foreign cards can be considered as a player's rookie card then? I imagine that question can get a bit more interesting in regard to Negro League players who maybe had cards printed while they were in Cuban or other foreign leagues, and not really in any mainstream American card/collectible issues.

I guess the question would/could come down to maybe whether the card/collectible issue pictured them with what is considered a major league team or not. I would assume a card depicting someone playing in a Winter league, and/or on a Latin, Japanese, or other foreign team, would not be considered as a major league card/collectible. And therefore, if your definition of a rookie card was solely based on it being a major league image and representation, those cards would never be considered a player's rookie card. But if your definition of a rookie card included a player's first ever depiction on a card/collectible as a professional player (or as a minor leaguer or amateur if you had an even more relaxed rookie card definition), then I can see some people considering such foreign cards as rookie cards after all. Depends a lot on the collector themself, and what they think, and not necessarily on what the majority of others in the hobby think or believe after all, IMO.

I would say rules 1 and 2 for rookie card classification are that it has to be a card and can't have been issued prior to the year of the player's major league debut, but that of course has changed in recent years as a subset of Negro League teams have now been retroactively classified as MLB teams, as well they should be. What country a card was printed in or distributed in shouldn't make any difference.

[darwinbulldog]

Mind you, if the player has a card issued prior to the year of his MLB debut I can understand why that would be more valuable than his actual rookie card, but I just interpret the word rookie in the phrase "rookie card" as referring to the status of the player rather than of the card itself. Otherwise identifying a player's rookie card is identical to just identifying his first card. Nothing wrong with an N172 Kid Nichols or a 1993 SP Derek Jeter, but they are of course cards of minor leaguers.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

I would say rules 1 and 2 for rookie card classification are that it has to be a card and can't have been issued prior to the year of the player's major league debut, but that of course has changed in recent years as a subset of Negro League teams have now been retroactively classified as MLB teams, as well they should be. What country a card was printed in or distributed in shouldn't make any difference.

So to be clear, if a Negro League player didn't have any earlier cards of him playing for one of the now recognized Negro ML teams in the U.S., but did have as his very first card say a Cuban issue of him playing for a Winter league Cuban team, and not a recognized Negro ML team, you would say the Cuban issued, Winter league team card is his major league professional rookie card?

There is no right or wrong answer, just checking on what you think and meant by what you were saying,

[Lucas00]

I'll throw my opinion in the ring on what I consider a rookie card.

Essentially any release whether it be a premium, post card, bread label, playing card, ice cream lid, notebook cover, I don't care. As long as it's made of paper and was distributed to at least a small amount of people. That is a rookie card to me.
Minor league issues also would count imo.


Things such as Snapshots and Press photos and some unique rppcs that were created for Personal or News use I don't count as rookies. Simply because they weren't meant for distribution.

[doug.goodman]

Originally Posted by Lucas00

I'll throw my opinion in the ring on what I consider a rookie card.

Essentially any release whether it be a premium, post card, bread label, playing card, ice cream lid, notebook cover, I don't care. As long as it's made of paper and was distributed to at least a small amount of people. That is a rookie card to me.
Minor league issues also would count imo.


Things such as Snapshots and Press photos and some unique rppcs that were created for Personal or News use I don't count as rookies. Simply because they weren't meant for distribution.

I agree, except the minor league issues.

[oldjudge]

Agree, except I think pins should also count--hello Cameo Pepsin

[Yoda]

An example of just what we are discussing occurred in Al's last LOTG auction. I consigned a Fleishman Casey Stengel with coupon graded SGC 1.5, which I believed to be his first MLB card. The result was somewhat disappointing. Shortly thereafter, SB in his auction offered up an Old Mill T210 Casey, which got a lot of attention and did well.
Just an example of the complexity of this issue.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by Yoda

An example of just what we are discussing occurred in Al's last LOTG auction. I consigned a Fleishman Casey Stengel with coupon graded SGC 1.5, which I believed to be his first MLB card. The result was somewhat disappointing. Shortly thereafter, SB in his auction offered up an Old Mill T210 Casey, which got a lot of attention and did well.
Just an example of the complexity of this issue.

It is his first MLB card and is therefore worthy of designation as his rookie card. That said, minor league cards, particularly scarce ones from popular sets that predate a player's MLB debut are understandably more expensive than the same players' later rookie cards, but I think one of the issues the hobby is close to a consensus on (and with which I agree) is that a card issued prior to the year of a player's rookie season is not a rookie card -- though as I've pointed out a few times there are more than a few -- what's a nicer word for hypocrites? -- who claim to agree but also think that Derek Jeter has a rookie card from 1993.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Agree, Glenn. R315 for Hubbell is a clear cut choice.

[Yoda]

It seems forever that any AH has offered up a N172 Anson in uniform. Cap's head and somebody else's body, I believe.

[Shankweather]

I’m so glad I found this thread, what a great read. Glad to know there are freaks scholars like me who really care about this stuff.

I'm in favor of a more restrictive definition of rookie cards, primarily for the sake of collectability. One corner of my collection is rookie cards for the Cubs Hall of Fame, from King Kelly to Mark Grace. When I really got into pre-war Cubs cards and tried to find the rookie cards of these ancient players, I found that going with the “first issue” was not always feasible. So I came up with four criteria for determining a pre-war set’s rookie card eligibility.

1. Looks like a baseball card. No postage stamps, photocards, or newspaper inserts. Reluctantly I’ll go up to postcard size for the sake of Exhibits. Colgan’s Chips are fine I guess. Leaning no on pins, silks.
2. Random distribution. A key component of baseball cards, since the very beginning, was buying something that had a card in it but you weren’t sure which one.
3. A representative checklist. 1876-1897 sets should have at least 24 players in the set. 1892-1901: 36. 1902-1960: 48.
4. Availability. We can’t really use the “nationally distributed” criteria for pre-war, but we can use pop reports to deduce the rarity. An average pop/player of 30 (roughly Old Judge) is my standard.

What is Frank Chance’s rookie card? Some options:



A. 1899-00 Sporting News Supplement M101-1 (fails #1)
B. 1903-04 Breisch-Williams E107 (fails #4)
C. 1906 Fan Craze NL WG3 (fails #2)
D. 1908 American Caramel E91 (fails #3)
E. 1909-11 T206 (RC)

A lot of you are going to think I’m lame as heck for not recognizing a Frank Chance RC until 1909, but I don’t see the point in designating things rookie cards that no one gets to own, or isn’t a card at all. His E107 has a total pop (PSA+SGC) of 3. If I’m trying to complete a Cubs RC set, putting that one on the list is just self-destructive and not fun. Let's replace "nationally distributed" with "available."

I'm aware that my rules will result in some players having no true rookie cards, like Cubs HOFer Bill Lange. His only issues are the M101-1 supplement and the Whitehead and Hoag pin. I'm mostly OK with that. We can make exceptions in those cases. I'd rather do that than have to chase "rookie cards" for other players who have better options.

EDIT: I'm holding on to these principles pretty loosely, definitely open to debate and changing my mind.

[Exhibitman]

To each their own, Stephen, when it comes to the PC, but I don't think there is much support for ignoring rare issues, like E107, just because they are rare. That makes them more desirable for many fanatical collectors. I tend to be in that camp. Just because I can't get or cannot afford a specific card doesn't "un-card" it.

I get into this discussion quite often in the boxing card world because so many fighters' first cards may be obscure overseas issues, management-issued promo cards, or cards in formats that we in the USA community don't think of as 'cards'. Same is true to an extent in basketball since there were so few mainstream sets from 1948-68. Do I ignore 1951 and 1952 NY Knicks schedule card with Nat Clifton and go with a 1957 Topps card?




Or to take another example, do I ignore a 1957 McCarthy PC of Don Drysdale that wasn't randomly distributed?

[Shankweather]

Oh I’m definitely not ignoring those cards. In fact, Chance’s E107 is my most wanted card. I own all kinds of stuff that doesn’t meet my own criteria. All this stuff is supremely collectible, whether it passes my or anyone else’s RC rules. But let’s say you wanted to create a Cubs Hall of Fame RC set on the PSA registry. You can’t put the E107 on there because only a couple people would be able to complete it. What if the 1904 Allegheny was Chance’s first card. Are we really going to call that his rookie card?