Let's talk about rookie cards
Sports card collectors can't seem to agree on rookie card definitions. What do you consider a rookie card?
Sports card collectors can't seem to agree on rookie card definitions. What do you consider a rookie card?
1986 Topps Traded #11T
1986 Topps Traded #11T
Barry Bonds has an uncommon scenario with his rookie cards. His 1986 cards are included in Update/Traded sets though he played over 100 games during his 1986 rookie year. These sets are complete boxed sets that some collectors do not consider eligible to be true rookie cards. Beckett made the designation "XRC" for these cards, which it later abandoned (though cards with this designation were grandfathered into keeping it). A core tenant of "rookie cards" is that they can't span multiple years, so the 1986 traded/update card eligibility will dictate if the 1987 base set cards are eligible.
1982 Topps #21
1982 Topps #21
Cal Ripken Jr.'s 1982 Topps flagship set card is unanimously considered a rookie card.
1987 Topps #366
1987 Topps #366
1985 Topps contained a subset of 1984 Team USA cards. One of those cards featured a young Mark McGwire a full year before he had played his first MLB game in 1986. Many collectors and Beckett price guides labeled the 1985 Topps card as a rookie card, sealing its fate. McGwire has several 1987 cards that are all generally viewed as rookie cards in the modern era. However, if the 1985 card is a rookie card, the 1987 cards lose that designation.
1961 Topps #287
1961 Topps #287
1961 was Carl Yastrzemski's rookie year, and his 1961 Topps card says "1961 Rookie" similar to other rookie cards in the set. However, the 1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski is widely regarded as his rookie card. If a card must be printed on or after a player's rookie season to count as a rookie card, the 1961 Topps card would become a rookie card.
