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?
1982 Topps Traded #98T
1982 Topps Traded #98T
Cal Ripken Jr.'s 1982 Topps card is unanimously considered a rookie card. Ripken's 1982 Topps Traded card is viewed as a rookie card by some and not by others. 1982 Topps Traded was released as a complete set, and Ripken had already had a 1982 Topps flagship card. While demand is high and collectors regularly call it a rookie card, the distribution method and 1982 Topps base set card can disqualify the Topps Traded card.
1985 Topps #401
1985 Topps #401
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, with his 1985 considered pre-rookie. However, if the 1985 card is a rookie card, the 1987 cards lose that designation.
2021 Bowman's Best #49
2021 Bowman's Best #49
Like Wander Franco, Rodriguez has a 2021 Bowman's Best card that should have been labeled "prospect." Unlike Franco, Rodriguez had not yet begun his rookie year in 2021. Rodriguez has numerous 2022 cards with the rookie logo meeting all of the standard criteria to be a rookie card. If either the logo rule is enforced, or the card must be printed during the player's rookie year, the Bowman's Best card is not a rookie card.
2022 Topps Series 1 #215
2022 Topps Series 1 #215
The 2022 Topps Wander Franco card is controversial due to 2021 Bowman's Best breaking rules related to prospect cards. The controversy around the Bowman's Best card was compounded by 2021 being Wander Franco's rookie year. With no rookie Franco rookie cards in other 2021 sets, collectors felt that Topps was intentionally holding back the rookie cards to sell more 2022 products. The 2022 Topps Series 1 card has the RC logo, which reignited the debate about which card is the true rookie card.