Are post cards rookie cards?

[Kutcher55]

Post cards are trash.

[Cubanball]

This is what I have learned in my 50+ years of card collecting. Terms like "Rookie Card" and "Baseball Card" have varying and evolving definitions. My personal take on these terms is that there tend to be strict and broad definitions depending on the catalogue, book, collector or dealer you read or speak too. I have found that generally those using a strict definition for rookie card refer to the first year card picturing a Major League baseball player in a national set by a major manufacturer (Goudey, Play Ball, Bowman, Topps, etc). Those using a broader definition consider a rookie card to be the first card picturing a Major League baseball player in any baseball card set (Major Manufacturer, Regional, food, Exhibits, Premiums, Postcard set, Foreign, etc.). Again these definitions vary, sometimes widely, and in the end we as collectors must decide for ourselves what we ultimately consider a baseball card and the rookie card of a player. In my personal collection I seek out the first available card of every Cuban born player that has played in the Major leagues. My personal take is that I swing from strict to broad depending on the player. Many players did not have cards made by major manufactures so I seek any card available for the player. In my collection I have included items like foreign cards, postcards, team issued premiums and photos for players that had no other item made. In conclusion we should all collect what we like. And a note to "Postcards are trash guy," if you ever run across a 1915 Postcard of Babe Ruth in Spring Training with the Red Sox, before you throw it away please ship it to me. I would gladly pay for shipping, handling and insurance.

[Kutcher55]

I thought we were talking about Post Cereal cards. No issue at all with postcards, although I don't view them as baseball cards per se. I'll keep an eye out for that Ruth for ya!

[Fred]

Regarding post cards:

In the early 20th century there are so many post cards with "limited" availability/distribution. Is the poll taking into consideration that these could be "rookie" cards?

[bleeckerstreetcards]

im sure you've seen this resource as well. good complement to what you're working on and what DRG provided that i reference often

https://oldcardboard.com/ref/rookies/RookiesList.asp

[Snowman]

Post cards are not baseball cards, in my opinion, so I don't think the question is relevant if we're taking about baseball cards. Otherwise, why not first posters, or first magazine cover, or first type 1 photo being a "rookie card"?

[Mark17]

The whole "Rookie Card" thing was created as a commercial gimmick. I remember when Card Prices Update (CPU) ruled the world of card perceived value/pricing. Every month prices would bounce up or down, 90% of the time up, and beside some cards was the designation "RC." I think the rationale was that it was similar to the first edition of a book, and therefore more valuable.

They even had the 1952 Topps Mantle designated RC, to get that price elevated.

My point is, "rookie card" was basically a money-making gimmick from the beginning, and people have been trying to bend and twist its definition for decades, to suit their own purposes (and inventories/collections.)

Seriously, for you actual collectors, would you rather have a 1963 Topps floating head Pete Rose, or a 1964 Topps Pete Rose, if the bogus "rookie card" phenomena didn't exist?