Rookie Card question

[flea]

Now this may seem like a stupid question but please bear with me.

When I first heard about card collecting i read that a players "Rookie Year" in card terms was the year he first got a card not the year he came into the league. Now it seems that cards are brought out for every player. So what exactly constitutes a rookie card?

[pantera04]

When a player is drafted in most cases, but say with the 1981 Topps Montana rc, it was the first card made of him even though he was drafted in 1979. Some of the older cards like the Montana rc is true the first card of a player is considered his rookie. Also with rookie cards like Reggie White, Steve Young, Jim Kelly and others have a offical nfl rookie but at the same time also have a usfl rookie card, which is there first card made of them. Hopefully someone else can explain it better. Basically todays rookie cards are when they are drafted.

[kr580]

Let me try my hand at this.

First, RC = Rookie Card

A RC is any base card made of a player in the first year they are made. Kinda confusing but say a guy is drafted in 2001 and has a base card in several different sets that same year... each of those is considered a RC.

However if someone is drafted in 2001 but doesn't get a basecard made until 2003 the 2003 card is considered his RC, such as Joe Montana (drafted in '79, RC in '81).

And the last scenario is a RC is only in the first year they have a base card out. Take LaVar Arrington. He had a Fleer, Pacific and Upper Deck card in 2000. Then in 2004 Topps came out with their first base cards of him and called them his RC but the majority of people in the hobby don't look at it as a RC.

[flea]

Thanks guys

[rayny1]

LaVar Arrington is a classic example.