O/T The concept of a non-sports "rookie card"

[JustinD]

Outside of sports I always preferred the term “first card” which seemed to be the description used in collecting I remember before Beckett added XRC to the lexicon. But honestly it doesn’t bother me in the least to see rookie card, I really like your listings with these because I always learn about something I usually know nothing about.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Switching gears. 1937 Humphrey Bogart. 1939 Ronald Reagan. 1950 Marlon Brando.

[Peter_Spaeth]

1936 Ingrid Bergman. 1939 Judy Garland. 1945 Frank Sinatra.

[Peter_Spaeth]

1954 Peter Sellers. 1964 Sean Connery. 1976 Sylvester Stallone.

[frankbmd]

I like the concept. I am waiting to be discovered and haven't appeared in my first movie yet. I guess all my cards would be considered pre-rookie cards.

[Peter_Spaeth]

1936 Rita Hayworth. 1950 Marilyn Monroe. 1964 Catherine Deneuve.

[Exhibitman]

The problem is that defining a rookie card outside sport involves a variety of cards and card adjacent items from all over the place. Often the earliest card will be a postcard or a promo card. For example, the earliest Marx Brothers card I know of is the vaudeville Exhibit card from 1926.



For recording artists the earliest card is usually a promo item from the label.




Or a studio card for an actor:



That’s all logistics. Where I think it goes too far is RC on a fictional character. Umm, no. They don’t exist.