Taylor Swift rookie card?

[pspa123]

Apologies if already discussed. Which would you consider her "rookie" card, 2011 Topps American Pie picturing her run in with Kanye West, or 2015 Top Trumps, which I believe is her first solo card?

[HeyRelaxGuy]

This one is the most popular based on sales:



There are FOIL and SPOTLIGHT FOIL versions as well that sell for more.

Good luck!

[Arazi4442]

Originally Posted by pspa123

Apologies if already discussed. Which would you consider her "rookie" card, 2011 Topps American Pie picturing her run in with Kanye West, or 2015 Top Trumps, which I believe is her first solo card?

There's a 2009 card that came in the German magazine, Bravo. Not sure if we could get agreement on this being a rookie card or not but it's the earliest I know of.

[WOLFMOON1970]

Most people know breaker Chris Justice / Cards Infinity / The Hobby Box....Back in 2010, this was THE VERY FIRST BOX Chris ever opened for me and I still own this card!
She was becoming popular back then...now she is simply over the moon!!

[John91C]

Originally Posted by WOLFMOON1970

Most people know breaker Chris Justice / Cards Infinity / The Hobby Box....Back in 2010, this was THE VERY FIRST BOX Chris ever opened for me and I still own this card!
She was becoming popular back then...now she is simply over the moon!!

Hey I recognize that cd insert...I have it!

[WOLFMOON1970]

Yup...Leaf took some SWIFT signed CD booklets from FEARLESS and put them in the "2010 Cut Signature" product

[DynaEtch]

Idk ‘rookie’ and nonsports doesn’t really mix to me. Basically the reason people go out of the way to designate a RC is for $ reasons I suppose. It’s just like Elon Musk thing…really aren’t many people out there with Elon Musk card collections (heck he doesn’t have many cards), but people will argue X or Y is the rookie almost entirely for financial reasons.

[pspa123]

Originally Posted by DynaEtch

Idk ‘rookie’ and nonsports doesn’t really mix to me. Basically the reason people go out of the way to designate a RC is for $ reasons I suppose. It’s just like Elon Musk thing…really aren’t many people out there with Elon Musk card collections (heck he doesn’t have many cards), but people will argue X or Y is the rookie almost entirely for financial reasons.

For a nonsports collector with a sports collecting background, why isn't the attraction and importance of a first card of a singer or actor or whomever equal to that of a baseball or football player?

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by pspa123

For a nonsports collector with a sports collecting background, why isn't the attraction and importance of a first card of a singer or actor or whomever equal to that of a baseball or football player?

It's a complex question but I'll attempt an answer. Some random thoughts,

Completely different than sports. Taking an example like Mickey Mantle, there is a long line of successive sets with a Mantle card...the first one really stands out and collectors want it the most. Similar to comics with a first appearance. Baseball cards are also one of the primary collectibles associated with the sport of baseball, along with memorabilia, autos, etc.

Taking the example of Taylor Swift, people who like her and her music are not generally collecting cards of her. If they are collecting anything at all, it's much more likely vinyl records, signed 8x10s, concert posters, tickets, etc. In fact, like other celebrities like Elon Musk, there really arent many official Taylor Swift cards as parts of sets anyway- just a few oddballs like the Topps American Pie or GPK card here and there. Everything else you see on ebay are custom cards and sketches. It's not like SW or Marvel where there are sets put out each year, and all the collectors. I think like the Elon, this question of what her 'rookie' is entirely about $- buying to invest in/grade/flip- not saying that's a good thing or bad thing, just saying what I think the question pertains to. It's actually not a lot different than sports or comics in that aspect at least.

The whole rookie thing was tried in marvel cards, particularly around the pandemic hype era (see: Deadpool X-force #1 'rookie', 1987 and 1990 MU 'rookies')- none of that stuff worked out, but it still is majorly being attempted with Spiderman in his 1966 Donruss card (there couldnt be a worse looking card to have to call a rookie, but it is what it is). That's a whole different can of worms, 'rookie's of comic characters years after the first appearance in comics just doesnt have that same oomph to it (a similar thing can be said of Taylor Swift if her first card was 2009 or 2011, quite a bit after she became an active musician and first album). In sports, players rookies are from their rookie year or before, and in comics the first appearance is just that- first time in print.

[aggie4ever]

Originally Posted by pspa123

For a nonsports collector with a sports collecting background, why isn't the attraction and importance of a first card of a singer or actor or whomever equal to that of a baseball or football player?

Because most nonsport collectors don't care about random base cards from an unknown manufacturer from a random set of cards. If they care about cards, they mostly want autographs, and cards from iconic movies or shows.

That's why many Star Wars set autographs sell for more than autographs that came out years earlier for actors who were guest stars in a random show.

Now it's different if the first autographs come from a set for an iconic movie or show. That's why the big three from Harry Potter sell for so much, same as many of the main actors from Game of Thrones.

[coltsnsox07]

Billie Holiday had seventy cents in her bank account when she died and Taylor Swift is worth $700 million...

[msucollector4]

Originally Posted by John91C

Hey I recognize that cd insert...I have it!

Wait those inserts are legit autos? or just some of them

[HeyRelaxGuy]

I think what LEAF is doing is beyond ridiculous. First of all, this company obviously did not buy a license from Swift because then they could just get autographs directly from her. Instead, they're buying autographed CDs and photos (probably from eBay), cutting them up (destroying the original items) and turning them into ugly-looking cards. Some of these autographs are so big and don't even fit on the card! This is no different than some of the custom garbage that people make in their basements.

[HeyRelaxGuy]

Originally Posted by coltsnsox07

Billie Holiday had seventy cents in her bank account when she died and Taylor Swift is worth $700 million...

If Taylor Swift was a druggie with abusive pimp boyfriends who stole her money, then today she would have seventy cents in her bank account as well.

[PoPCulture]

Originally Posted by HeyRelaxGuy

I think what LEAF is doing is beyond ridiculous. First of all, this company obviously did not buy a license from Swift because then they could just get autographs directly from her. Instead, they're buying autographed CDs and photos (probably from eBay), cutting them up (destroying the original items) and turning them into ugly-looking cards. Some of these autographs are so big and don't even fit on the card! This is no different than some of the custom garbage that people make in their basements.

Leaf has been doing this for years. They buy the same signed CD’s, Albums, books, etc… that we have access to through the record companies and bookstores and cut them up into cards. Look for Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sir Patrick Stewart to be the highlight on sell sheets next year.

[StlBen]

Yeah this is a card from 2010 you are getting upset about?!

[salthill]

Originally Posted by HeyRelaxGuy

I think what LEAF is doing is beyond ridiculous. First of all, this company obviously did not buy a license from Swift because then they could just get autographs directly from her. Instead, they're buying autographed CDs and photos (probably from eBay), cutting them up (destroying the original items) and turning them into ugly-looking cards. Some of these autographs are so big and don't even fit on the card! This is no different than some of the custom garbage that people make in their basements.

Wait until you find out what the card companies are doing to jerseys, bats and balls…

[dd316]

Originally Posted by pspa123

For a nonsports collector with a sports collecting background, why isn't the attraction and importance of a first card of a singer or actor or whomever equal to that of a baseball or football player?

You don't find as many collectors in non-sports who collect only a specific person or character. Mostly in Marvel stuff you'll have collectors that focus on specific characters, maybe Star Wars, too. But that's about it.

Sports guys have been trying to shove the Rookie Card mentality into non-sports collecting, but it's been unsuccessful so far. The only people who care are other sports guys.

And just for fun: I sold a raw copy of the American Pie card above last year for $120. Not bad for a card I probably couldn't get 25¢ for a year prior.

Originally Posted by coltsnsox07

Billie Holiday had seventy cents in her bank account when she died and Taylor Swift is worth $700 million...

I'm going to venture a guess that Swift has sold a ton more records than Billie. And it's not a good comparison between someone who's down and out against one at the peak of their success. How much was Billie worth at her peak?

[Brobocop]

Originally Posted by dd316

I'm going to venture a guess that Swift has sold a ton more records than Billie. And it's not a good comparison between someone who's down and out against one at the peak of their success. How much was Billie worth at her peak?

That and it's possibly a good sign that creators like Swift are getting paid more and more for their work rather than the suits who do nothing raking it all in. Never got why people get mad when someone like her or a basketball player make millions. If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at the CEO or the owner of these teams.

[Rictor]

*eye roll* rookie *eye role*

[chilly55]

non-sport rookie card = YAWN

[sci2007]

In addition to the 2010 Leaf Cut Signature Encore set she also has one in 2010 Razor Cut Signature Edition.

Was she included in anything else in 2010?

[DynaEtch]

Heck Im surprised we havent seen her in some football product by now, like Panini Prizm. May as well considering how much they show her. (I dont follow, maybe they have by now, who knows. Opportunity there if they didnt. Would be a wild chase for the Taylor Swift superfractor Im sure).

Eh...'rookies' in nonsports in general. More than anything else, it's about the hobby trying to designate one card of that person so it can soar in price...that about sums it up in a sentence.

[Joshi City]

I do see that people that purchased the Leaf Kelce/Swift dual auto have not been able to flip it for a profit. There are some sales on eBay but all sold for under the original price (especially with eBay fees). Honestly I am surprised as I'd think right now would be its peak market, if you can't sell it for a profit now they probably won't ever be able to.

[DynaEtch]

Originally Posted by Joshi City

I do see that people that purchased the Leaf Kelce/Swift dual auto have not been able to flip it for a profit. There are some sales on eBay but all sold for under the original price (especially with eBay fees). Honestly I am surprised as I'd think right now would be its peak market, if you can't sell it for a profit now they probably won't ever be able to.

Only thing I can think of is because Leaf. If that card was an NFL licensed Panini Prizm or National Treasures, you'd think it would be a lot. Picturing a Taylor Swift, as a Chiefs card, maybe tacked on to the base set. And with parallels and autos- surely that would be up there in the product hits. (Unless football people are just that tired of it all, but you know how those gimmicks work...they go viral and way up in price).

I did a search on ebay for Taylor Swift Panini and all it returns is zillions of customs cards.