OT: Who Determined That Mantle's Rookie Card was the 52 Topps

[darwinbulldog]

For those who care about the regional/national distinction, let me know if I'm misinterpreting you, but I believe your position is:

If the average collector could buy a pack of cards by traveling 8 miles to a grocery store, then what is in that pack of cards might be a rookie card. If the same collector had to drive 408 miles to buy the same pack of cards, then what is in the pack is no longer a rookie card.

[packs]

If you can buy a pack of cards from a set anywhere and get any of the cards in the set no matter where the pack was bought, that's a nationally distributed set. If you could only get certain cards based on where you lived, that's a regionally distributed set.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by packs

If you can buy a pack of cards from a set anywhere and get any of the cards in the set no matter where the pack was bought, that's a nationally distributed set. If you could only get certain cards based on where you lived, that's a regionally distributed set.

Okay, got it. And why do you want that to have a bearing on what you designate as a rookie, as opposed to just saying in some cases, "This player's rookie card is pretty scarce because it was only a regional issue."?

[packs]

I separate them for myself because I want what I consider to be the premier card, and to me the premier card is the card that was included in the biggest set. This principle applies to many other things too, not just baseball cards. A brand name has appeal across the board in many aspects of life where you can get one version of something or the name brand version of it.

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by packs

I separate them for myself because I want what I consider to be the premier card, and to me the premier card is the card that was included in the biggest set. This principle applies to many other things too, not just baseball cards. A brand name has appeal across the board in many aspects of life where you can get one version of something or the name brand version of it.

So T206 is Cy Young's rookie card, or is there a bigger set I'm not thinking of?

[packs]

I don't feel the need to change your mind or feel as though I have anything to prove to you. This is a discussion about what people consider to be rookie cards. Why are you so hung up on what I think?

Just for the record though, I consider the E107 to be Cy's rookie.

[darwinbulldog]

I thought since we have a difference of opinion you might want to explain it to me is all. If I'm being hypocritical in some way in how I apply the definitions I would want to know that so I can correct it. If you'd prefer not to continue the discussion or answer some of my follow-up questions, that's fine.

[TanksAndSpartans]

When I started collecting around age 9, rookie card and first card would have been synonymous in my head. I’m wondering if its possible the reason for the distinction has something to do with not including too many rare or relatively rare first cards in registry sets. Red Grange is a good example from football cards - there are lots of cards that predate his '33 Goudey Sports Kings rookie.