Babe Ruth Rookie

[rats60]

Originally Posted by drcy

The Sporting News is his rookie card. Rookie card means his first trading card as a Major League Player (Federal League or other MLB-level team will count). Can have multiple rookie cards if multiple MLB trading cards came out in the same year. Can't be his rookie card if it's a minor league.

No, it isn't. The card has to be nationally issued, not a regional. If you are going to ignore that part of the definition, why can't someone else choose his very first card, the Baltimore News or something else?

[nolemmings]

Originally Posted by rats60

No, it isn't. The card has to be nationally issued, not a regional. If you are going to ignore that part of the definition, why can't someone else choose his very first card, the Baltimore News or something else?

Explain to us again which of the then 48 states did not allow mailing of The Sporting News to its citizens? Or Successful Farming for that matter? I've asked this of you many times before, and have also asked that you enlighten us with what you assert to be the true Babe Ruth rookie. I get crickets.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by nolemmings

Explain to us again which of the then 48 states did not allow mailing of The Sporting News to its citizens? Or Successful Farming for that matter? I've asked this of you many times before, and have also asked that you enlighten us with what you assert to be the true Babe Ruth rookie. I get crickets.

The crickets very well might be because I tell members if they are going to get into very much of a debate then the "full name in post rule" is going to apply. Some members don't want to to go there, which is fine, as long as they don't push whatever boundary there is to having your full name have to be in public on this forum. It's a fine line and I try to accommodate all members requests.
Carry on..
..and I happen to agree with you, Todd. I have thought his rookie MLB card is the M101/4&5s. I also don't think you can just say "his rookie card is" unless you qualify it a little bit. To each their own, except for the board policies .

[nolemmings]

Thanks Leon. I actually don't have strong feelings about what is or is not a rookie card, since I don't collect them as such--heck; I'd rather that most folks considered the m101 not to be his rookie, as that in theory could drive down the price, making it only two stratospheres beyond my budget I just never saw any logic from this poster, who continually claims the m101 is not the rookie for reasons he cannot support, and who then still will not offer an opinion as to what card he believes should be called the rookie and why.

[drcy]

I don't subscribe to the 'nationally distributed' rule. However, even if that is the rule, the Sporting News definitely was a national distributed card and publication. Sporting News was the Sports Illustrated (or ESPN?) of its day.

But I don't collect rookie cards, so I'll let the definitional debate proceed without me.

[h2oya311]

If I (or any other "rookie" card collectors) had to limit ourselves to only nationally distributed issues, there would be quite a few gaps in our collections! I have quite a few gaps due to the astronomical prices of the cards I seek, but that's my problem.

I guess, by that unusual criterion, 1947 Tip Top Bread and 1954 Red Heart and other regionally distributed "items" are simply not cards. Anyone who came up with the idea that national distribution was necessary in order for a card to be considered a "rookie card" simply needed an excuse for not filling certain holes in their collections due to rarity of certain regional or team issues. To me, that's half the fun.

I'm still blown away when I see a 1948 Bowman of Enos Slaughter being called a "rookie" card when he was 32 years old, had already made four All-Star appearances, and had played seven full seasons with the Cardinals DESPITE three years away from the game due to military service. FWIW, he has several pretty high population cards that pre-date the '48 Bowman - (1) 1941 W754 Cardinals Team Issue, (2) 1941 Double Play, and (3) 1947 Tip Top Bread among others. But I've digressed (a little)...