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Thread: What is a rookie card?

  
  1. #1




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    What is a rookie card?

    No really.

    I just back into the hobby.

    But I've seen players with rookie cards that span like over 3 years.

    I saw a 93 or 94 Topps archive rookie Michael Jordan way oversell recently.
    Because the guy had MJ rookie in the title. Will he receive some bad feedback
    or something?

    There is certain pre rookie cards that some people call pre rookie, but others just
    title as a rookie card.

    Do people care how liberally people with call something a rookie?

  2. #2







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    Do people care how liberally people with call something a rookie?

    Yes they do. Nobody thinks a card from 1993 is Jordan's rookie card. That's Don West level.

    A rookie card has always and will always be the first card of the player from a pack pulled major release. It was always from the base set but that has kinda changed over the years to allow inserts and now parallels but if the guy has 3 years obviously the oldest one of that would be the rookie and not the two that came after it.
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    I doubt it.

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    For sports cards, I notice that COMC uses RC and RY for cards that I would probably classify all as "rookie cards".

    COMC does seem to differentiate between the 2 classes of rookie for whatever reason I do not know.

    It used to be an easy thing to tell, but with the sheer number of cards now, the lines will get blurry.

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    Upon closer inspection at COMC, they use at least 3 designations for Rookie Cards: RC, RY, and PRC. Rookie Card, Rookie Year, and Pre-Rookie Card.

    That makes it a bit confusing, because every single card that is a RC card will also automatically be an RY card.

    Searching names such as Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, or Alexis Lafreniere, I cannot see a clear cut pattern for which designation cards receive. Why do some jersey cards have RC and some jersey cards have RY? Why do some auto cards have RC and some auto cards have RY? When they are all from the same year, sometimes even the same set!

    Personally, I use the term "rookie card" to encompass everything that I view as a rookie card. Perhaps COMC can "see the light" because they handle so many cards, and thus they can see a reason to classify rookies differently for their needs. But until my needs have a use for RY, I just ignore it.

    Most trading card addicts view eBay as the prime gold standard authority on trading cards, so it may depend on how eBay chooses to classify cards going forward, as I don't see COMC having enough pull yet to call the shots.

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    Upon closer inspection at COMC, they use at least 3 designations for Rookie Cards: RC, RY, and PRC. Rookie Card, Rookie Year, and Pre-Rookie Card.

    That makes it a bit confusing, because every single card that is a RC card will also automatically be an RY card.

    Searching names such as Dylan Cozens, Kirby Dach, Jake Evans, or Alexis Lafreniere, I cannot see a clear cut pattern for which designation cards receive. Why do some jersey cards have RC and some jersey cards have RY? Why do some auto cards have RC and some auto cards have RY? When they are all from the same year, sometimes even the same set!

    Personally, I use the term "rookie card" to encompass everything that I view as a rookie card. Perhaps COMC can "see the light" because they handle so many cards, and thus they can see a reason to classify rookies differently for their needs. But until my needs have a use for RY, I just ignore it.

    Most trading card addicts view eBay as the prime gold standard authority on trading cards, so it may depend on how eBay chooses to classify cards going forward, as I don't see COMC having enough pull yet to call the shots.

    Thats weird about COMC.
    I would have assumed "RC" was all base from his rookie year (including base rookies that are auto'd and/or with jersey), and that "RY" was all parallels and inserts from that year.
    But, like you say, it does not match
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    For sports cards, I notice that COMC uses RC and RY for cards that I would probably classify all as "rookie cards".

    COMC does seem to differentiate between the 2 classes of rookie for whatever reason I do not know.

    It used to be an easy thing to tell, but with the sheer number of cards now, the lines will get blurry.

    I have always heard, and I believe, that true rookie cards always have a base set number. Parallels can be debated, usually they are RY, but a rookie card has a #. So, Topps #69 could be a true rookie card, but doesn’t have to be. However p, Topps Next Episode #TNE-3 would never be a true rookie card. If it came out during the players first year then it is a RY. PRC would denote a card made before the first full pro season. This is more common in baseball with minor leaguer cards, but it also happens in other sports with college releases like Press Pass and Sage. I see PRC becoming more common in the NIL era.

    Anyone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

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    I have always heard, and I believe, that true rookie cards always have a base set number. Parallels can be debated, usually they are RY, but a rookie card has a #. So, Topps #69 could be a true rookie card, but doesn’t have to be. However p, Topps Next Episode #TNE-3 would never be a true rookie card. If it came out during the players first year then it is a RY. PRC would denote a card made before the first full pro season. This is more common in baseball with minor leaguer cards, but it also happens in other sports with college releases like Press Pass and Sage. I see PRC becoming more common in the NIL era.

    Anyone feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

    I highlighted the word "true" in your comment. And I generally agree with you in the base card example, as I think most of us "old school" collectors would.

    The problem is who defines what is "true"? I don't really see any authority other than eBay, and to a much lesser extent COMC has creeped up the ranks in recent years. Which is a shame really, all of the decades people have spent in this hobby, and the friggin' eBay gutter is what we have to show for it! And even if COMC becomes the world leading authority on all trading cards, well, I already don't like they way they are going with the PRC, RC, RY designations as is. But if I had to choose between eBay and COMC, I would choose COMC hands down.

    And the other problem is the new wave of collectors in the hobby. Don't even get me started on these noobs and their Marvel card rookie cards! They don't understand the old school rookie card way, yet they seem to be the shot callers with how these new cards in the new sets are being classified.

    And yet another problem, it is almost becoming difficult to tell what is a base card anymore on some sets! Sometimes a base set parallel is a base card, other times it is fancy, and might be an insert card, depending on the set and/or genre/manufacturer/era etc.. This is only going to get worse.

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    Thats weird about COMC.
    I would have assumed "RC" was all base from his rookie year (including base rookies that are auto'd and/or with jersey), and that "RY" was all parallels and inserts from that year.
    But, like you say, it does not match

    Another thing that just came to mind, is that COMC is quite, how you say it nicely, error-prone. I cannot count the hundreds and hundreds of errors I have seen on COMC over the years, many of which I click on the "Report Error" button, and most never get corrected. So when a card is designated as RC or RY, and you are scratching your head wondering why, it could very well be that some new COMC employee simply just mislabeled it!

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