Players With Undisputed Rookie Cards
JackWESQ
Posts: 2,133 ✭✭✭
I just had a random thought about rookie cards. While not
holding the same allure that they once had (due to the introduction
of 1/1 and autographs cards, etc.), I'd imagine that a decent
amount of collectors still look to a player's rookie card as a
starting point. With that in mind, I was wondering how many
active players have truly, one undisputed rookie card?
Mark McGwire's 1985 Topps comes to mind, though he is not active.
Jerry Rice's 1986 Topps...
Roger Clemens 1984 Fleer Update...
Nomar Garciaparra 1992 Topps Traded...though there is a "Gold" Version.
This can't be it. What else is out there?
/s/ JackWESQ
holding the same allure that they once had (due to the introduction
of 1/1 and autographs cards, etc.), I'd imagine that a decent
amount of collectors still look to a player's rookie card as a
starting point. With that in mind, I was wondering how many
active players have truly, one undisputed rookie card?
Mark McGwire's 1985 Topps comes to mind, though he is not active.
Jerry Rice's 1986 Topps...
Roger Clemens 1984 Fleer Update...
Nomar Garciaparra 1992 Topps Traded...though there is a "Gold" Version.
This can't be it. What else is out there?
/s/ JackWESQ
0
Comments
1994 Pro Line Live
TheDallasCowboyBackfieldProject
But back to the title,
88 FU Smoltz
91 TT Giambi both come to mind.
Maddux only had one REGULAR issue card in 87 (Donruss)
Thome in 91 (Bowman)
Julio Franco 83 (Donruss), as all other cards came from brick sets only.
There are very few (big names anyway) that had less than 2 if their rcs came in after 81.
E
rookie card. No Fleer; No Donruss; No other company.
As for Sammy Sosa, I think you might be correct. The 1989 Donruss
Baseball's Best was the only card produced for Sammy in 1989. Funny
thing, the notation "RC" isn't after his name in the Beckett Magazine.
/s/ JackWESQ
P.S. "I'm pretty sure Lebron has only 1 rookie card... "...that was produced
in the last minute...
I've got a few:
Todd Helton (1993 TT)
Carlos Beltran (1995 TT)
Curt Schilling (1989 Donruss)
Eric Gagne (1999 Fleer Update Tradition - not positive on this one)
Pedro Martinez (1991 UD Final Edition)
Mariano Rivera, Carlos Delgado (1992 Bowman)
An interesting one is Victor Martinez, he only has two RC's from 2001 (!), both are from Donruss and are serial #'d, one to 410, the other to 625.
Kevin Brown--1987 Donruss (next card was 1989)
Roger Clemens--1984 Fleer Update
Carlos Delgado--1992 Bowman
John Franco--1984 Fleer Update
Nomar Garciaparra--1992 Topps Traded
Tom Glavine--1987 Sportflics Team Previews
Rickey Henderson--1980 Topps
Trevor Hoffman--1992 Bowman
Randy Johnson--1988 Starting Lineup Talking Baseball Team Sets
Chipper Jones--1990 Classic Series III
Barry Larkin--1986 Sportflics Rookies
Javy Lopez--1991 Bowman
Tino Martinez--1988 Topps Traded
Mark McGwire--1985 Topps
Raul Mondesi--1991 Bowman
Kirby Puckett--1984 Fleer Update
Curt Schilling--1989 Donruss
Sammy Sosa--1989 Donruss Baseball's Best
Greg Vaughn--1989 Fleer Update
Pedro Martinez had two cards in 1991--Upper Deck Final Edition and Classic Series III
bobsbbcards SGC Registry Sets
It was rare for me to find a rookie in 98 with only 1 card produced. I collected Brad Miller (Kings allstar center) since his rookie was in the
E-X basketball issue. There was the regular card, Now RC and Future RC...same card...just different levels. Pretty rare since a guy like Vince Carter had like 100 RC's to choose from.
The future RC had only 27 cards produced...I picked up 8 of them.....for a guy that was a common, undrafted player I think I've done well.
Pray for a Hoosier bid. Go IU!
<< <i>So, why is it that the Sosa '90 Leaf is more valuable that the '89 Donruss? >>
Because Leaf is a premier set. Sort of like upperdeck in 89.
<< <i>Seems like it should be the 1989 Donruss Baseball's Best. But all the 1990 Sosa cards are called "rookie cards," too. >>
Actually, correct me if am wrong, but sosa has a "Topps Major League Debut" card issued in 1989 with the 1990 design. PSA lists the card as a 1989, but beckett lists it as 1990. I have the card at home, but i am pretty sure the copyright date in the back is 1989.
<< <i>Well now a days players have 500 rookie cards or inserts and blah blah. >>
Basketball and football...yes. Baseball? Not necessarily. Bowman and Topps have tried to corner the rookie card by producing rookie cards for top draft picks in their sets WAAAY before they come up to the team. That's why certain stars have their only regular issue rookie card (outside of the stupid update and traded sets companies produce) is with Bowman or Topps (Piazza in 93, Thome in 91, Guerrero in 95).
Jeff Kent i believe only had one rookie card with fleer update. Personally, i miss the aura of the rookie card. I tried to figure out which pujols rookie i should buy....after sifting through 90 pages of 2001 beckett listings, i gave up and bought the topps rookie (ended up i bought the topps chrome....TRADED....stuuuupppiiidddddd).
Most of the time, my posts generate about 4-5 responses. There
was a post a couple of days ago noting that vintage is dead. I can't
speak for others, but part of the reason I generated this post is
that I also enjoy cards from the bygone era when players only had
one card per year. I still love my Tom Seaver rookie card and Mike
Schmidt rookie cards. 1967 Topps and 1973 Topps, respectively.
Personally, I can't imagine the day where people will lose interest
in vintage. Of course when I was buying packs of 1988 Donruss, the
idea of grading didn't even exist and I couldn't even contemplate it.
/s/ JackWESQ
P.S. The senior partner at my firm asked me, "Why are people so
angry at Bonds?" Of course, I didn't answer him and turned the
question around on him and asked him, "Are people mad at Bonds
because he is using steriods? Or are people mad at Bonds because
he is using steroids AND breaking all kinds of records? Would people
be as mad at Bonds if he were using steroid and were putting up
really good numbers though not all-time best numbers?"
In a vacuum, people would be angry at Bonds simply because he is
using steroids. However, I suspect people are mad at Bonds because
he is using steroids and setting all kinds of records and maybe even
the all-time HR record.
I guess in simple terms, the question is...would we care about cheating
if cheating didn't lead to success? I suppose in theory, cheating should
be looked down upon regardless of whether cheaters prosper...or not.
<< <i>This reminds me, has anyone seen the new Basketball Beckett Plus Quarterly? Has a section of the 50 Most valueable Rookies, very few great like MJ, Chamberlain etc. make the list because of all the modern LeBron, Wade, Richardson, Ming etc that clutter the list. It is sickining. >>
Agreed it's sickening, but on the bright side the Chamberlain and Jordan will always be on that list, while 90% of the rest will be gone in a few years, if not a few months - replaced by whichever 19 - 21 year olds are getting the most hype then.
If there is a single basketball rookie card made in the last 5 years that is still worth 10% of what it is today 10 years from now I will be shocked and amazed. Hell, even 5% would be surprising.
<< <i>I guess in simple terms, the question is...would we care about cheating
if cheating didn't lead to success? I suppose in theory, cheating should
be looked down upon regardless of whether cheaters prosper...or not. >>
Have you ever heard "when you cheat, you're only cheating yourself"? In many cases that is true, or at least the harm done to others is very minor. But in Bonds case, while he has undoubtedly cheated himself out of functional testes and taken many years off his life, he is cheating Hank Aaron out of a singular place in history that he earned honestly. Sure, I'll look down on Craig Counsell (or whoever) if it turns out he's been cheating, but in that case he really was mostly just cheating himself. Not so with Bonds, and he deserves every bit of scorn he's received and a whole lot more if he doesn't have the decency to retire before he erases Aaron from the record books.