My biggest dream for the football card industry

[Jameis1of1]

I would love to see ONLY ONE specific brand (not company with a million brands) be able to produce true rookie cards, and for said rookie cards to be redemption cards (yes, I know, I generally despise redemption cards and for good reason) issued right after the NFL Draft that would be fulfilled AFTER one's rookie season ends.

The cards themselves would feature a shot of the player in an actual game, contain a piece of a GAME-WORN jersey, be autographed and be numbered to, say, at least 1,000 so that a great many fans can get in on the action.

There would also be a version that contains a nameplate patch which could be numbered to 100 or so.

There could also be a version that contains a logo patch which could be numbered to 10 or so.

And, there would of course be one true 1/1 with a NFL shield patch.

So, every rookie would have around 1,111 true rookie cards, with any other card produced by any other brand considered a mere XRC.

The reason I think the true rookie card should be a redemption issued right after the draft is because it allows people to really speculate and predict what a rookie will become. As-is, National Treasures, the king of cards, isn't released until the player's rookie season is over and everyone already knows what each player is worth … however, if every collector/investor had to speculate/predict what a player would become, it'd make it a lost more interesting and really reward those who predicted accurately.

I also think it would keep the costs a bit lower for many collectors and that it would provide a much bigger ROI potential.

What do ya'll think?

[usafshelland]

I voted negatively... I like that there are many brands because not all can afford NT, but some want better than a Score RC. I think the biggest mistake that's ever been made is not giving out licenses to Topps, Upper Deck, etc. A little competitive demand I think would help this hobby. I like licensed stuff, hate getting airbrushed pictures or a player in their college uniform...would LOVE to see Topps Chrome make a comeback in football cards someday.

[jplcom]

Your proposal sounds like an evolution of 1998-99 Upper Deck Ovation which I quite enjoyed. They packed out rookie draft pick cards which would get redeemed after the draft for the players picked at that slot. They were in their NBA uniforms at that point. The fun of trading picks made it quite interesting if a collector was stockpiling a certain pick. That year I made out quite well getting a couple "boring" Milwaukee Bucks picks where they were slotted with the 9th overall pick. Good thing they traded their pick to the Dallas Mavericks :)

I like the concept but I think the execution will price out small budget collectors and young hobby members. Plus I would be annoyed as a set builder to have a segment of the hobby say the sets I have don't have any "true" rookie cards. As for the stats on the back I prefer them to not have the current year on them. I've always used it as a guideline for determining what year the card was made. If I see 2018 stats, I'll think that it's a 2019 card.

In the end what is actually a rookie card is up to the collector. I know the baseball folks this has been a debate going on for decades. For me a base card in a player's rookie year from a licensed manufacturer is a rookie card. Anything else (parallels, inserts, off-license, etc) is a rookie year card. I like the thought of an agreed upon/established rookie card but not at the cost of excluding members from the hobby or adding complexity/confusion.

[Jameis1of1]

I voted negatively... I like that there are many brands because not all can afford NT, but some want better than a Score RC. I think the biggest mistake that's ever been made is not giving out licenses to Topps, Upper Deck, etc. A little competitive demand I think would help this hobby. I like licensed stuff, hate getting airbrushed pictures or a player in their college uniform...would LOVE to see Topps Chrome make a comeback in football cards someday.

I agree with you that it would be great to see more competition, instead of just Panini … Topps Chrome no longer existing, as well as Upper Deck Exquisite is a real shame.

Your proposal sounds like an evolution of 1998-99 Upper Deck Ovation which I quite enjoyed. They packed out rookie draft pick cards which would get redeemed after the draft for the players picked at that slot. They were in their NBA uniforms at that point. The fun of trading picks made it quite interesting if a collector was stockpiling a certain pick. That year I made out quite well getting a couple "boring" Milwaukee Bucks picks where they were slotted with the 9th overall pick. Good thing they traded their pick to the Dallas Mavericks :)

Dirk!!! By the way, this is completely off-topic, but I always wished a prime Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki could have played together during their prime … I always thought that duo would have been a lot of fun to watch play together and I consider both of those guys two of the "all-time greatest 'teammate'" type of players.

I like the concept but I think the execution will price out small budget collectors and young hobby members. Plus I would be annoyed as a set builder to have a segment of the hobby say the sets I have don't have any "true" rookie cards. As for the stats on the back I prefer them to not have the current year on them. I've always used it as a guideline for determining what year the card was made. If I see 2018 stats, I'll think that it's a 2019 card.

Those are logical points … I guess I just figured people would still consider the player's XRC to be a "rookie card" even though there is only the one true RC … for example, to me, none of LeBron's RC's are "true RC's" in my view, as only his 2002 cards are true rookie cards, same as with the Jordan "Star" card which I view as his true RC, while the 86 Fleer isn't a rookie card of any kind ...

In the end what is actually a rookie card is up to the collector. I know the baseball folks this has been a debate going on for decades. For me a base card in a player's rookie year from a licensed manufacturer is a rookie card. Anything else (parallels, inserts, off-license, etc) is a rookie year card. I like the thought of an agreed upon/established rookie card but not at the cost of excluding members from the hobby or adding complexity/confusion.

The above said, I take it that like me, you do not view Jordan's 86 Fleer card as a RC of any kind and only view his Star card, which is absurdly called an XRC as his "true RC", and that LeBron's true RC's are his 2002 versions; yes?

Also, just out of curiosity, how do you view USFL "rookie cards" compared to Topps "rookie cards" of the same player, for example Reggie White and Steve Young?

[jplcom]

The above said, I take it that like me, you do not view Jordan's 86 Fleer card as a RC of any kind and only view his Star card, which is absurdly called an XRC as his "true RC", and that LeBron's true RC's are his 2002 versions; yes?

I honestly never gave the MJ much thought. I kinda view it similarly to a '51 Bowman vs a '52 Topps for Mantle. LeBron I have no hot take unfortunately. I stopped collecting basketball after the Bulls super team got broken up.

Also, just out of curiosity, how do you view USFL "rookie cards" compared to Topps "rookie cards" of the same player, for example Reggie White and Steve Young?

To me there is room to call both USFL and the NFL cards rookie cards as they are rookies in their leagues. I have a similar view to Ichiro Suzuki's 1993 Japanese RCs compared to his 2001 MLB RCs. Both can be considered true rookie cards for their respective leagues. However a person can argue (similar to MJ, RW, and SY) which one is the definitive card to own. That debate I leave to the scholars, historians, and those way smarter than me!

[Jameis1of1]

I honestly never gave the MJ much thought. I kinda view it similarly to a '51 Bowman vs a '52 Topps for Mantle. LeBron I have no hot take unfortunately. I stopped collecting basketball after the Bulls super team got broken up.

I agree on the MJ, but that's because I only view the Bowman as Mantle's "rookie card" :-) As for the LeBron, I think I'm in the minority with how I view his cards, but I just don't see how a 2003 Exquisite can be a "RC" when his first cards, his true "RC's" were from 2002. To me, his 2002 Finest Refractors are like Jordan's 84 Star XRC's … his true RC and one day they will explode in value.

To me there is room to call both USFL and the NFL cards rookie cards as they are rookies in their leagues. I have a similar view to Ichiro Suzuki's 1993 Japanese RCs compared to his 2001 MLB RCs. Both can be considered true rookie cards for their respective leagues. However a person can argue (similar to MJ, RW, and SY) which one is the definitive card to own. That debate I leave to the scholars, historians, and those way smarter than me!

I agree with you on the USFL/NFL cards and have always viewed them both as RC's … I'm clueless on baseball cards for the most part and know nothing at all really about Ichiro cards. I glance at the MLB standings and stats from time to time and I'd be happy to be able to tune into a World Series featuring Mike Trout or a Game 7 featuring two dominant pitchers or something like that, but otherwise, I haven't been "into baseball" really since the 86' Mets Darryl Strawberry was swinging for the fences.

[jwlawrence06]

I agree with more NFL licenses. As a new collector who joined post-Panini takeover, I can't help but think how collecting was back when there were more competitors in the game. I still grab packs/boxes of older stuff from Topps and Upper Deck, but it would be great to be looking forward to new releases from those brands. I feel like Panini is starting to over-release, and it just seems a little too forced sometimes.

[RPM740]

I think thats a cool idea! A lot of strategy and fun. More competition might be good because panini is really scummy, cheap and has no care/concern for its customers.