Feller rookie?

[h2oya311]

Since there will NEVER be consensus on what is considered a “rookie” or a “card”, I took out the guess work and think it can be any number of items (although the 1933 Goudey Ruth doesn’t make the cut) similar to the approach taken on the old cardboard website. But even they focused almost exclusively on items catalogued in the Lemke Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards book.

I’ve been working on a website (about 30% complete) that identifies all cards and photos (excluding only yearbooks and certain other magazine photos) to show the earliest collectible(s) for each hall of fame baseball player. The lists are mostly complete, but I haven’t finished uploading all the images. If you only want to see major league “rookie” cards, you can find them. If you just want earliest (including minor leagues), you can find them too. If you don’t care about size (“size matters not” - Yoda), there’s plenty of big and small items to peruse. If you want to know the earliest image with team items (like team postcards) or just composites or you’re okay with press photos and original photos or “one-of-a-kind” cabinets or magazine premiums, supplements, and woodcuts, you’ll find ‘em here. To each his own.

Take a look and let me know if you have any recommended additions.

HOF Earliest website:
https://imageevent.com/derekgranger/hofearliest

Enjoy the sneak peak. You won’t be disappointed. Once complete, I’ll add a reference page on this site. Obviously, a lot of credit has to go to Phil Garry on his early work on this topic. I’ve just added and added to the list after years of research and lots of AH catalog browsing. I hope to finish the site by the end of this year, but it’s a labor of love, so please be patient.

[Baseball Rarities]

Derek - that is an awesome list. I only follow a few players and issues that your webpage covers, but your information really accurate in those instances. The work that you and Phil Garry have done with these "first collectible" and "rookie" lists is really appreciated.

I would suggest that you create a new thread where people could comment and add to it.

[Exhibitman]

Do non-USA cards belong on a rookie card list for MLB players? I totally get the issue with NL players who, but how is a card not issued in the USA the RC of an MLB player when he has USA issued cards, e.g., Al Lopez's 1930 Baguer instead of his 1927 die-cut or 1951 Bowman? If a foreign issue counts, why not count team issues that were at least issued somewhere in the USA? And if one PC counts, don't all PCs count?



this cut from the back of a box is a card?



But these cuts from a newspaper are not (1949 Philadelphia Bulletin cards)?



They were intended to be cut out and saved as baseball cards.

I don't mean to be nit-picky, but it just seems that drawing the line based on materials or size alone is arbitrary.