Post a Stupid Question - Prewar 101

[steve B]

Ok, the actual explanation for "rookie" cards being worth more -

Before collecting became somewhat mainstream cards were mostly collected by kids. Kids typically collected for 2-4 years, and after that time the cards went into a sort of collecting limbo. Maybe given to a younger brother (Or sister as I did with some of mine) Maybe stored out of sight until mom found them after HS graduation, maybe just tossed.

Also typically, a player didn't become an overnight sensation. So they might not get a really big following until maybe their 4th or 5th year.

When cards were being disposed of sometimes a kid would hang on to a few favorites. These were more often established stars or locally popular players.
So the first cards of some players survived in lower quantities than cards of stars.

Once the hobby became more mainstream, this became more of a traditional thing rather than anything based on there being fewer available. And with the proliferation of draft pick cards and eventually a few high school prospects sets it got silly. So I believe it was Beckett that produced a definition of a "rookie card" That has become a generally accepted standard.

Whether that definition truly makes sense is a matter perhaps for its own thread, I personally disagree with it on some points, but it's accepted and overall isn't bad although it gets trickier for prewar cards. (It's skewed towards what can be reliably sold by a dealer, so most of the tougher cards are out, and the mainstream ones that exist in quantities from "not too tough" to "my goodness they made a lot of these" are in.


There are a number of people here who collected before what I consider the first big boom, roughly 77-81 and a bit beyond, Their recollection of the timing may be different as 77 was when I began seriously collecting and 77- 81 saw a large increase in full time or more serious part time dealers. From a handful in the country to several in any major city. The downturn caused by the 81 strike took out a bunch of the ones that weren't well funded or just weren't all that into being a card dealer.


Steve B