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View Full Version : The 'RC' Stamp on Rookie Cards


Pigo
09-08-2017, 05:29 AM
The more I think about this, the more I feel like it's a bit of a shame. I'm not a long-time collector and haven't been in the hobby consistently, but go back to the mid 90s and was always taken by the concept of the rookie card (over here in the UK, we don't have anything similar, and trying to get rookies in soccer sets is a waste of time). I liked the fact that there was a bit of mystique to a rookie card - the hobby worked out which one it was, there were certain 'rules' determining which was a true rookie and which wasn't, but you could take or leave them, they just added to the fun. I'm aware this is still the case, but I'm not a fan of having the RC stamped on cards now - it feels like a sop to the resale market in a way, making it easier to sell to casual fans and dabblers rather than being necessary.

Does anyone else have a preference between 'unmarked' style rookie cards that were identical to the other base cards in a set, and the 'Rookie' or 'RC' designation that's used nowadays. I know that older 80s sets like Fleer and I think Hoops would mark their rookies out as well, and I'm probably just being picky, but wondered whether it's something that other members think about.

MJGOAT23
09-08-2017, 06:23 AM
I just think it wasn't necessary back then because the number of sets was very limited. Nowadays we are inundated with parallels and products so I actually like seeing it. I can tell what the heck is what.

Pigo
09-08-2017, 07:02 AM
Yeah, that's a good point. Things were so much simpler back then.