What is a rookie card?

[30ranfordfan]

I totally agree with you. If Hockey is already not there it will be. In Baseball i know Topps puts the RC insignia logo on all rookie year cards of a player no matter what it is. i know this a card company and not the hobby collectors but I think thats what we are moving to. A players rookie card (RC) in base sets as being their only true RC are being replaced by Rookie Year cards. or in short everything from a players rookie year is a rookie card.

As it has already been made clear in another thread Beckett is losing and is becoming irreverent and so are some of their definitions. The hobby is changing so much over the last 10 years. It maybe hard for some long term collectors to keep up or accept change. Thats why there are still collectors that live and die by the old ways. Do not get me wrong im not saying that it is bad its just like with life, it changes and if you dont change with it you have to accept you may not be in the majority anymore. and there is nothing wrong with that.

Those are my thoughts. So Thank you to everyone who posted and or read on this topic.

Beckett is losing for sure. As far as a price guide goes, it's become irrelevant to most collectors. The definitions? To be honest, I don't know what to think about them - as a thing - in themselves. Do collectors believe that's the definition, because Beckett says so? Or does Beckett say that's the definition because collectors believe that to be true. Little bit of Chicken & Egg. I do know Beckett has changed what they publish, with enough urging.

[Al99]

Agreed, NHL Jersey is a must.
You are a rookie in the NHL when you have that sweater on and have played a game, not while you were a tournament that has nothing to do with the NHL.

I disagree with @RGM81 on this point "Now, that's a card from 1997-98. It's a base card. That was Joe's first season in the league. It even says "ROOKIE" in big letters on it. Except he had cards in a few 1996-97 sets, showing him as a member of Team Canada. Those are his Rookie Cards."

I don't think a non-NHL uniformed card should count as their rookie cards.

[subban7677]

Agreed, NHL Jersey is a must.
You are a rookie in the NHL when you have that sweater on and have played a game, not while you were a tournament that has nothing to do with the NHL.

You can have that opinion, but it's incorrect. Saku Kouvu's RC is 1992-93 UD with him pictured in a Team Finland jersey. You can say it doesn't count, and his first in his NHL jersey is his true RC, but you'd be wrong.

[MR.M's Cards]

Agreed, NHL Jersey is a must.
You are a rookie in the NHL when you have that sweater on and have played a game, not while you were a tournament that has nothing to do with the NHL.

So by this logic the lindros 1990 score card isnt his rookie

[cwpucks]

This is why i asked this question. I knew there where many different opinions on what is a Rookie Card. My view is if you think the NHL based cards in the 90's for players that are shown in World Junior Jerseys are Rookies thats fine. or if you think its their 1st card in a NHL jersey is their Rookie and view the WJ NHL based cards a Pre Rookie Cards, XRC thats find also. This question was to point out there are may different opinions and its not as clear as what people think it is. Their is no right or wrong answer so please be nice and rude to others that have a different opinion.

With that said Is the 1974-75 OPC WHA Mark Howe a Rookie card or is it the 1979-1980? I would say because the WHA was a pro league the 1974-75 is a Rookie Card.

[subban7677]

The WHA would be the RC. I've been trying to hunt down a 1975-76 WHA Mark Napier RC for a reasonable price. It seems you need to find an auction right now, because vintage Buy It Now prices are out of whack.

[30ranfordfan]

This is why i asked this question. I knew there where many different opinions on what is a Rookie Card. My view is if you think the NHL based cards in the 90's for players that are shown in World Junior Jerseys are Rookies thats fine. or if you think its their 1st card in a NHL jersey is their Rookie and view the WJ NHL based cards a Pre Rookie Cards, XRC thats find also. This question was to point out there are may different opinions and its not as clear as what people think it is. Their is no right or wrong answer so please be nice and rude to others that have a different opinion.

With that said Is the 1974-75 OPC WHA Mark Howe a Rookie card or is it the 1979-1980? I would say because the WHA was a pro league the 1974-75 is a Rookie Card.

I didn't realize there was much (any?) debate around players like that. I know I've said "NHL licensed set" over and over again in my posts on this thread.... but that's while ignoring the 70s, when there was a 2nd professional league. I would have though everyone considered a WHA card (if that was the player's first pro card) to be his Rookie Card.

I don't know much about football cards, especially vintage ones, but I'd assume any player that was in the AFL prior to the merger, his first AFL card would count as a RC, not the first card he had in the NFL, after the merger.

[cwpucks]

I didn't realize there was much (any?) debate around players like that. I know I've said "NHL licensed set" over and over again in my posts on this thread.... but that's while ignoring the 70s, when there was a 2nd professional league. I would have though everyone considered a WHA card (if that was the player's first pro card) to be his Rookie Card.

I don't know much about football cards, especially vintage ones, but I'd assume any player that was in the AFL prior to the merger, his first AFL card would count as a RC, not the first card he had in the NFL, after the merger.

There may not be anyone that thinks that the WHA cards are not RC but i thought i would ask. mainly to see what people think of other Pro leagues like WCHL and PCHL from the 20s on if they are RC or just the OPC from the 30's. but being few if anyone collects what i do i modify my questions to more modern times for answers.

[30ranfordfan]

There may not be anyone that thinks that the WHA cards are not RC but i thought i would ask. mainly to see what people think of other Pro leagues like WCHL and PCHL from the 20s on if they are RC or just the OPC from the 30's. but being few if anyone collects what i do i modify my questions to more modern times for answers.

Very much outside my wheelhouse there. I don`t know enough about cards from the 20s to have a strong opinion.

Based on the nature of those leagues: I would be comfortable calling those cards from the 20s `Rookie Cards`, if the cards were similar in distribution to the NHL cards of the time.

[cwpucks]

So due to all the interesting answers and view points i got i have decided to post this same question in the Baseball, Basketball and Football sections of this site. I will for anyone that is interested post some of the views from other sports here later as they come in. Not that anyones view is wrong i just find this topic really interesting.