Rookie cards

A rookie card is a trading card that is the first to feature a specific athlete. Collectors value these first appearances more than subsequent card issues. Athletes are often commemorated on trading cards which are highly collected based on the popularity of the athlete. Prices for rookie cards fluctuate based on consumer interest, supply and demand and other factors.

A rookie card is a trading card that is the first to feature a specific athlete. Collectors value these first appearances more than subsequent card issues.

A rookie card is not necessarily always produced during a player's rookie season because there could have been cards that fit the definition printed in previous years. It is generally agreed that to be a true rookie card, the card must be numbered as part of a product's base set. Thus, insert cards of any type are generally not considered to be rookie cards.

In 2006 Major League Baseball instituted a set of guidelines which dictated what cards could and could not bear the official MLB rookie card logo. Despite these guidelines, many collectors still regard a player's "true" rookie card as being their first officially licensed prospect card, particularly those included in Bowman and Bowman Chrome sets.

Debate within the hobby exists, as some believe that an athlete's first appearance on any trading card qualifies as his rookie card. Others believe that a rookie card is the first licensed issue from a major manufacturer that is widely distributed. There can be more than one rookie card for a player. In 2006, Major League Baseball added a "RC" logo to rookie cards, and prohibited cards of players who have not yet appeared in a Major League game from being in the base set.

This debate was exemplified when in 2001, Upper Deck, a trading card company, created a set of golf cards which featured Tiger Woods. However, Woods already had many cards from other manufacturers such as Sports Illustrated which included a young Tiger in a 1996 edition of their Sports Illustrated for Kids periodical, which routinely contains trading cards of various athletes. "SI Kids" cards have perforated edges and are normally unlicensed by the athlete. Hobby publication Beckett gave the 2001 Upper Deck Golf card a rookie card designation despite its arrival five years after the Sports Illustrated for Kids release, sparking controversy.

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