Baseball Hall of Fame Rookie Cards Discussion

[darwinbulldog]

Originally Posted by BobC

Interesting question. So, what do you do with someone like Frank Robinson, who was a player, player/manager, and then a manager? Do you then consider him to have two rookie cards, one as a player and a second as a manager? His '57 Topps card is obviously his player rookie card

1956 Kahn's

[h2oya311]

Agreed, although I tend to prefer his smile on this 1956 Cincinnati Reds Team Issue Postcard over the scowl on his Kahn’s:

[BobC]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

1956 Kahn's

Yes, but if you're someone who believes a rookie card is from a nationally distributed set, and not more of a regional set or specialty issue, then it is the 1957 Topps card that is considered his rookie card. Even the SCD Standard Catalogs and Beckett guides list Robinson's '57 Topps card as his rookie card. To each his own, and you are correct that it is Robinson's first appearance as a major leaguer in that Kahn's set. But after the 1948 start of the annual nationally distributed bubble gum card sets from Leaf and Bowman, followed a couple years later by Topps, player's rookie cards have all been considered as coming from those big, annually produced and distributed card sets, not any of the specialty, regional, or other oddball cards and issues. At least that seems to be the case with a large majority of people in the hobby.

If I had said '56 Kahn's instead of '57 Topps, I probably would have gotten someone else posting I was wrong about that. I just mentioned Robinson as he's a perfect example of the potential dilemma in looking for a rookie playing card and a rookie managerial card for the same person, and mentioned his '57 Topps cards as that is the card most people think of as his rookie.

[BobC]

Originally Posted by darwinbulldog

1956 Kahn's

Yes, but if you're someone who believes a rookie card is from a nationally distributed set, and not more of a regional set or specialty issue, then it is the 1957 Topps card that is considered his rookie card. Even the SCD Standard Catalogs and Beckett guides list Robinson's '57 Topps card as his rookie card. To each his own, and you are correct that it is Robinson's first appearance as a major leaguer in that Kahn's set. But after the 1948 start of the annual nationally distributed bubble gum card sets from Leaf and Bowman, followed a couple years later by Topps, player's rookie cards have all been considered as coming from those big, annually produced and distributed card sets, not any of the specialty, regional, or other oddball cards and issues. At least that seems to be the case with a large majority of people in the hobby.

If I had said '56 Kahn's instead of '57 Topps, I probably would have gotten someone else posting I was wrong about that. I just mentioned Robinson as he's a perfect example of the potential dilemma in looking for a rookie playing card and a rookie managerial card for the same person, and mentioned his '57 Topps cards as that is the card most people usually first think of as his rookie.