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Babe Ruth "rookie" card

BuccaneerBuccaneer Posts: 1,794 ✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
I was reading the article in SMR on Robert Edward's 2nd 1914 Baltimore Sun Ruth card. I understand and appreciate the historical significance of this card but I think by latching on to the "rookie" card craze that unfortunately taken over this hobby, it cheapens it a little. What is the precedent in calling a player's minor league card his "rookie" card? If that's a catch-all for a player's first card, where does one draw the line for other players than Ruth?

Comments

  • Stone193Stone193 Posts: 24,393 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Steve

    Great question.

    I think the card companies are finally deciding to come to terms with all that with their agreement on what an RC constitutes with the new sets this year.

    As it goes for the others? I was and will remain forever confused.

    Between the RC, XRC and FC (first card) - let the discussions roll.

    mike
    Mike
  • mikeschmidtmikeschmidt Posts: 5,756 ✭✭✭


    << <i>I was reading the article in SMR on Robert Edward's 2nd 1914 Baltimore Sun Ruth card. I understand and appreciate the historical significance of this card but I think by latching on to the "rookie" card craze that unfortunately taken over this hobby, it cheapens it a little. What is the precedent in calling a player's minor league card his "rookie" card? If that's a catch-all for a player's first card, where does one draw the line for other players than Ruth? >>



    Well - the question is definitely not so clear, especially in the pre-war arena. What about cards of baseball HOFers of which there is only a singular example shown? What if it is non-major league card [e.g. Southern League T-206] that was distributed in a set with major league cards? In the pre-war world, dates of distribution are not always known - and the first card is simply that - the first card known of a player. It is not like collecting in the post-war world. It is Ruth's first card. It will go for tens of thousand of dollars, if not six figures. It is exceedingly rare, with less than two dozen examples known. It's an important card. People that spend that kind of money aren't really going to get in a pissing contest on the definition of 'rookie' [well - that's not true].

    ~ms
    I am actively buying MIKE SCHMIDT gem mint baseball cards. Also looking for any 19th century cabinets of Philadephia Nationals. Please PM with additional details.
  • bocaratondefensebocaratondefense Posts: 59
    That is not a rookie card. It is a minor league card. Babe Ruth's first major league team was the Red Sox, not the Baltimore Terrapins. Still I think the card will sell for a lot of money.
  • calleochocalleocho Posts: 1,569 ✭✭
    Marc hits it on the nail.

    Its the first known card of the most famous baseball player ever, debating wether its a technical rookie or not is meaningless with such a desirable card.

    And really when it comes to Pre war ...its just too confusing to really pick a rookie card.



    "Women should be obscene and not heard. "
    Groucho Marx
  • BuccaneerBuccaneer Posts: 1,794 ✭✭
    That's what I got hung up on. The article (and the auction) made several reference to "rookie" card as if that means something or that it really is such a card. They also that these card will surpass the Wagner as being the most valuable. I admit that I have a bias in reacting negatively in the rookie card hype. We didn't care about such crap when most of us were kids and certainly the old-timers who were around or collects pre-war didn't either. To me, it's a shame that such a historical card has to be given the degrading moniker of "rookie" card to hype it.
  • shagrotn77shagrotn77 Posts: 5,577 ✭✭✭✭
    I believe that:

    A - It's a minor league card
    B - The Sporting News card is Ruth's real rookie
    C - It doesn't matter
    "My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. Our childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When we were insolent we were placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds - pretty standard really."
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