What is a true MLB RC?

[imbluestreak23]

Originally Posted by MoreToppsPlease

No, you’re lost, stuck looking at ways for yourself to make money; further you don’t want anyone to tell you how you have to do it.

The MLBA gets to decide what a ROOKIE is. This has nothing to do with money, but how they serve their CONSTITUENTS.

Or, in other words, you don’t get to decide terms.

Duh.

I’m looking for ways to make money? Wait, MLBPA is the one slabbing a fake logo on 2nd (4th year) Wanders for a full 12 months as opposed to 1st year (3rd year) Wanders for 4 months. All to make millions more in preorder? Yet I’m supposed to have an angel to make a few bucks off BB50 at the expense of a years worth of 2022s?

Final question, are you k13s Papi?

[imbluestreak23]

Where is Andruw Jones and Vlad Daddy’s flagship RC?

[Remmons22]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

no "true" RC's before 2006, got it.

Agreed.

[AnthonyT]

Originally Posted by eye4talent

For me, this raises the question: Then, so what if a card is the true rookie? If there are a few hundred thousand of them, and they are easy to come by, that doesn’t generate a whole lot of excitement. There’s the universality of the card, in that all collectors can recognize the flagship card and then, I guess, be part of the same club by owning a $5 piece of cardboard, or the $40 version in a PSA 10 case. (Unless it’s short-printed. Or the player doesn’t have many other rookie cards.)

If the Topps black or Topps Chrome gold refractor versions aren’t rookie cards, then why do they demand so much more money? Because they’re rare, yes, but they demand significantly more than equivalent second-year cards and rookie-year cards that are distinctly inserts. And why are rookie-year autographs so desirable? A Juan Soto 2018 Topps Chrome Update sticker auto sells for significantly more than a 2019 Topps Chrome Future Stars orange /25 auto. The lesser card is a lot more rare and with an on-card sig. Why is the other one worth so much more?

I suppose the answer is because they’re rookie-year (or rookie-related). But it’s a distinction without a difference. Whether someone wants to deem a card a true rookie card or a rookie-year card, collectors approach them with the same mindset—as long as we’re talking about cards that are, in one way or another, variations of the base set. (This would primarily be marked by the shared design.)

And there is definitely a distinction between a rookie auto or parallel and an insert rookie-year auto or insert. The 35th anniversary cards, for instance, are inserts, and thus aren’t quite as desirable as their main-set counterparts, whether we’re talking autos, color parallels, or Chromes.

So, to me, limiting the distinction of “true rookie card” to the base flagship card doesn’t really seem to mean a whole lot.


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To some degree, it doesnt mean a whole lot to have every card from the rookie year branded with the RC logo either. Now you have, not only 100's of thousands of base cards, but every parallel, insert, etc that are also rookies. Which is why I believe they should limit what actually gets the RC. Some cards, like autos and numbered parallels have inherent value due to its scarcity, however, if only the Flagship base card was branded with the RC, then it might command more interest. Instead, as you said, its not exciting because there are "better" versions available. So make it unique and have only the flagship rookie the iconic card. Like it was in 1980 (though there was no rookie noted, but the cards became iconic).

[AnthonyT]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

so nothing before 2006

got it

Not really what I was saying. Obviously before then there are rookie cards, but Topps did not denote them with an RC logo. But they had team rookies cards or player position rookie cards, and others that were just their first major league baseball card with no indication, like 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson, for instance. But these are different times, and so the question doesn't really apply to card sets prior to 2006, or at least before 1980. In 1981 you might as if the Fleer, Donruss or Topps is the true rookie, depending on who released theirs first. Or maybe in 1989, was it Bowman, Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck or Bowman? In 1983, Donruss would indicate their Rated Rookie (on the backside) and then again since 1984 on the front, highlighting some of the top prospects from that year. But that was their strategy. But since Topps monopolized the baseball card industry, they designed a way to point out the rookie cards as they understood it was what collectors sought after and it is here today and that is what the debate is about, as I see it. Got it?

Granted some of the choices are ambiguous. Such as "First Topps Card". Wander Franco has a 2020 card in the Update. But no one seems to be implying or arguing that is his rookie card.

[thenightman]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

no "true" RC's before 2006, got it.

That's correct, but if you want to add the caveat that a the first Topps Flagship card of a player, after their debut, prior to 2006, is their RC, then that is acceptable.

[ThoseBackPages]

Originally Posted by AnthonyT

Not really what I was saying. Obviously before then there are rookie cards, but Topps did not denote them with an RC logo. But they had team rookies cards or player position rookie cards, and others that were just their first major league baseball card with no indication, like 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson, for instance. But these are different times, and so the question doesn't really apply to card sets prior to 2006, or at least before 1980. In 1981 you might as if the Fleer, Donruss or Topps is the true rookie, depending on who released theirs first. Or maybe in 1989, was it Bowman, Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck or Bowman? In 1983, Donruss would indicate their Rated Rookie (on the backside) and then again since 1984 on the front, highlighting some of the top prospects from that year. But that was their strategy. But since Topps monopolized the baseball card industry, they designed a way to point out the rookie cards as they understood it was what collectors sought after and it is here today and that is what the debate is about, as I see it. Got it?

Granted some of the choices are ambiguous. Such as "First Topps Card". Wander Franco has a 2020 card in the Update. But no one seems to be implying or arguing that is his rookie card.

so any card with the "RC Logo" on it is a RC?

[ThoseBackPages]

Originally Posted by thenightman

That's correct, but if you want to add the caveat that a the first Topps Flagship card of a player, after their debut, prior to 2006, is their RC, then that is acceptable.

so Stan Musial's 1958 Topps All Star card is his RC?

[mgariepy14]

Originally Posted by thenightman

It's pretty straightforward. The true RC is the Topps flagship that comes out after the players debut that has the RC logo.

If a player doesn't have one of those then player doesn't have a rookie card.

So JT Realmuto, Corey Kluber, Enrique Hernandez, etc.. Don't have rookie cards I guess by this logic since they don't have the RC logo on their first Topps Flagships cards. Man I thought I had their rookie cards the whole time

[imbluestreak23]

Let the record state, prior to me bumping this thread from 2016, there were 70 total votes. 24% of them were for the RC logo.

Votes over the past 24 hours really show how "new" our hobby is, which I guess is a good thing I guess.

[k13]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has no RC logo on his prizm.
Should tell people that's not a rookie either...

[k13]

Originally Posted by imbluestreak23

Let the record state, prior to me bumping this thread from 2016, there were 70 total votes. 24% of them were for the RC logo.

Votes over the past 24 hours really show how "new" our hobby is, which I guess is a good thing I guess.

Most of them are not new just have vested interest.

[thenightman]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

so Stan Musial's 1958 Topps All Star card is his RC?

Is it the first flagship card after his debut?

[ThoseBackPages]

Originally Posted by thenightman

Is it the first flagship card after his debut?

yes it is

[thenightman]

Originally Posted by ThoseBackPages

yes it is

Then yes. First Topps Flagship card after debut = RC