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08-20-2012, 10:54 AM #1
What makes a Rookie Card a True Rookie Card
I understand the jersey number system in Titanium RNH /93, Jake Gardiner /51, Landeskog /92, Larsson/5, etc etc. The draft postition parallels though create some confusion for me though, are the rookie cards or parallels? To me anything that says "ROOKIE" on it is a rookie card. But as far Young Guns, Hot Rookies, Victory Rookies and Rookie Gems are they considered True Rookies? I would imagine this is not a True Rookie and is just a parallel, http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-13-PATR...item2321203b26, Is this a true rookie? http://www.ebay.com/itm/2012-13-OPC-...item3a78c41544, any insight is very very appreciated.
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08-20-2012, 10:58 AM #2
The easiest way is to look at the back. If the card has a number and nothing else, it is widely accepted as a rookie. So a card with number "142" like the Future watch autos, would be rookies. Cards that have number letter combinations such as "BG-124" are generally considered Inserts. Of course, if the card is not from the player's rookie year, it wouldn't make sense either.
There are a lot of purists who believe that every card set can only have one rookie card. This would mean that the most basic rookie is the official rookie card of that set. All other cards (i.e. YG exclusives, black diamond rubies, Cup golds,) are not rookies but just parallels.
It really depends how you cut it! But in terms of value, the basic rookies always increase in value more because there are more people who collect them!
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08-20-2012, 11:04 AM #3
Ok, so my Magnus Paarvi(sp) Victory Rookie Gold is just a parallel then?
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08-20-2012, 11:28 AM #4
Yes, only the basic rookie is a "real" rookie usually.
SPA FWA /999- real rookie
SPA FWA Patch /100-Parallel
Victory-real rookie
Victory gold/black-parallel
Ultimate RC Auto /299-real rookie
Ultimate Patch/Shield-parallel
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08-20-2012, 11:32 AM #5Hockey Advisor
It has to be part of the base set. It could have a piece of GU, and Auto, be serial numbered, or be short printed (compared to the rest of the set). Having the word "Rookie" (or something similar) on the card means nothing, other than the fact that the player was likely in his rookie season when the card was printed.
So yes.... a Young Guns card is a true RC, but a Young Guns Exclusive is not. A Victory rookie is a rookie card, but the Gold version is not.
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08-20-2012, 12:12 PM #6
I'm pretty sure if its part of the base set (so not a parallel or insert), the players first appearance in a widely available set is considered his rookie card. So in your example the Mayer card is an RC, assuming he wasn't in any 11-12 sets.
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08-20-2012, 01:06 PM #7
That pretty much nails it right there.
There was at one time an argument that there had to be a minimum number produced (eg. 99) to qualify, but even Beckett no longer recognizes that arbitrary number.
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08-20-2012, 02:12 PM #8New Project Manager
For me and what we use in the SCF database in one player one brand one rookie part of a base set. Like 30randfordfan explained. But I would have to add that the brand need to be licence by the NHL and NHLPA. Need to be a stand alone release that you can buy a pack or a box. Now currently there is 22 licence in hockey so there can't be more then 22 rookie. This is how we define a RC in our database.
But value has nothing to do with the definition and a RC parralel can have as much value and in certain sport even more. Hockey is usually equal or less value. But that is not true in other of the major sport. So value is not what define a rookie but the first card release from a full brand release. For instance I did a survey on ICE when it stop being a standalone product. While 50% still see it as a true RC, 50% do not. SCF is not flaging them as rookie since ICE is no longer a stand alone product and we consider them as insert as you can only have them if you buy a box and can't get them from buying packs only. They are bonus cards in a box. Mainly UD could not see the brand go away, yet they still decided to drop it as a standalone brand when their licence was cut down in half. But the value of these so called rookie as not gone down since many love them and want it for the player they collect. This is why I say value is not important to the definition.
But the cutting point is one rookie per release standalone licence brand and is define by the card part of the base set. Mainly this definition has been around for as long as I have collected cards and not something SCF invented, we just took what the card market as define in the past and applied it for a our database.Last edited by CoolHandLuke; 08-20-2012 at 02:16 PM.
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08-20-2012, 03:23 PM #9
Okay, I wondered why you had decided to not consider Ice as being true rookies, when Beckett still gives them an "RC" designation. Thanks for the explanation.
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08-20-2012, 03:39 PM #10New Project Manager
We had to come up with a clear definition and normaly it always was the first card part of a base set of a licence release. Since ICE is not longer a release then we did not flag it. But we won't stop the love for the product and make the value go down as in the end the collector decide what they like. But for the database we needed a clear definition to not debate all the time what a RC is. Manufacturer play more and more with how they release cards to get a edge in the market. But from a database point of view we can't just go left and right and have one sport doing it one way and a other doing it a other way.
If you ask me my preferate RC from Carey price and it's really the ICE one. So it not that I don't like them and I can understand why the value is not affected. But we had to draw the line somewhere and be able to explain our decision. Not all agreed but we can't just flag any cards either. I felt stronly on what the past did to define it. And it does not stop other to call it a RC. Look at eBay so many cards are rookie LOL
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Originally Posted by 30ranfordfan 
