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What is Prince Fielders "best" rookie card?

ndleondleo Posts: 4,146 ✭✭✭✭✭
in Trading Cards & Memorabilia Forum
First Happy Easter!

I'm in the market for a Prince Fielder RC. I am mostly a football card collector now, so I need some guidance from our baseball friends.

Prince has a 2002 UD Prospect Premiere, 2005 Ultimate/SPX/Leaf Limited/SP Authentic, and 2006 cards which actually have the Rookie Card designation. Which card is considered his best rookie? I'm guessing the 2005 Ultimate even though the 2002 PP was first.

Mike

Comments

  • Sean1125Sean1125 Posts: 3,479
    02 is only going to be his true rookie card... the "we put a rookie logo so hes considered a rookie" is kind of ridiculous...

    kind of depends on your personal preference but I always like SP authentic.
  • ToroToro Posts: 1,515
    2002 of course, then the Ultimate, then the whatever PSA members have for registry purposes.
  • miconelegacymiconelegacy Posts: 3,052 ✭
    Pop 1... 2/25

    image
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  • sportscardtheorysportscardtheory Posts: 1,786 ✭✭✭
    2005 Ultimate Collection AU/99. Best true RC without a doubt.
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  • digicatdigicat Posts: 8,551 ✭✭
    2002. Anything else is just another card. Maybe we should call them "FALSE" rookies?
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    WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
  • Stadium1978Stadium1978 Posts: 173 ✭✭
    According to Major League Baseball, 2006 cards are Prince Fielder's RCs. This is because 2006 is the season that Prince was officially considered a rookie player.

    According to Beckett, 2005 cards are Prince Fielder RCs. This is because 2005 was the first year that Prince Fielder appeared in the base sets of card releases that featured current MLB players (both rookie and veteran) as well as it being the year that he made his MLB debut (although not enough appearances to be called a Rookie by MLB).

    The only 2002 cards Prince has are minor league cards and one MLB prospect card (the above mentioned 2002 Upper Deck Prospects Premiere Autograph). Beckett lists this card as an XRC because while licensed by the MLB, it was a prospects set as opposed to a regular issue.

    In my experience (17 years behind the counter in a baseball card shop), whatever year Beckett says is the RC is what the average informed person goes with. Therefore, the Ultimate Collection, SP Authentic and SPX cards from 2005 are the top three valueable Prince Fielder RCs in my opinion (in that order).

    Now, if you start counting parallels as RCs, that's different.
  • prthdprthd Posts: 1,323
    Its all confusing to the average collector, as well as myself. Bowman Draft, Bowman Prospects, rookies according to the "Rookie Logo" on the cards. It really gets confusing.
    Looking for 1950 Bowman football PSA 7's
  • digicatdigicat Posts: 8,551 ✭✭


    << <i>whatever year Beckett says is the RC is what the average informed person goes with. >>



    Beckett Almighty. LOL!


    The fact that MLB decided to create their own definition of "rookie card" and impose it on the hobby is absurd.
    My Giants collection want list

    WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
  • Stadium1978Stadium1978 Posts: 173 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>whatever year Beckett says is the RC is what the average informed person goes with. >>



    Beckett Almighty. LOL! >>



    I know, but that's what most of my customers want. Now, if I could only get them to pay Beckett prices...
  • sportscardtheorysportscardtheory Posts: 1,786 ✭✭✭


    << <i>2002. Anything else is just another card. Maybe we should call them "FALSE" rookies? >>



    Maybe we can call any Fielder card from 2002- 2004 "False Rookies" because he wasn't even on a Major League roster at any time in any of those years.
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  • miconelegacymiconelegacy Posts: 3,052 ✭
    I agree with all the comments. Bowman from most buyers perspective seems to be the unofficial brand for a players RC. I think it always brings the attraction because of the Auto's, Refractor's, then All the serial #d colors, purple, blue, orange, red, etc. Then there are the Superfractors and printing plates.

    The Ultimate, SP, and SPX are all great cards. I'm glad to have this Bowman one in my collection.
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  • digicatdigicat Posts: 8,551 ✭✭


    << <i>Maybe we can call any Fielder card from 2002- 2004 "False Rookies" because he wasn't even on a Major League roster at any time in any of those years. >>



    That's never mattered before.
    My Giants collection want list

    WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
  • ndleondleo Posts: 4,146 ✭✭✭✭✭
    After reading the comments and talking to a few other collectos, I'm leaning towards his 2005 Ultimate Auto as the key rookie. It seems to have most of the key criteria for a key RC - major league uniform, auto, low serial # (but not too low to make it impossible to get), and part of a standard MLB set.

    The 2002 PP feels like a minor league card and the 2006 cards seem like they are a year too late. There were already several 2005 cards with Prince in a Brewers uniform.
    Mike
  • sportscardtheorysportscardtheory Posts: 1,786 ✭✭✭


    << <i>After reading the comments and talking to a few other collectos, I'm leaning towards his 2005 Ultimate Auto as the key rookie. It seems to have most of the key criteria for a key RC - major league uniform, auto, low serial # (but not too low to make it impossible to get), and part of a standard MLB set.

    The 2002 PP feels like a minor league card and the 2006 cards seem like they are a year too late. There were already several 2005 cards with Prince in a Brewers uniform. >>



    Good choice. Regardless of these other issues, it is the one Fielder base set RC that outsells any other from 2002-2006.
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  • mesapsamesapsa Posts: 306
    Am kind of wondering why we are not seeing more people want to pick up Princes cards??
  • ClockworkAngelClockworkAngel Posts: 1,994 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Its all confusing to the average collector, as well as myself. Bowman Draft, Bowman Prospects, rookies according to the "Rookie Logo" on the cards. It really gets confusing. >>



    Amen to that. I would love to start collecting/investing in today's players, but who the hell wants to deal with the encyclopedia you need to figure out "which is the best rookie card" crap? It's what drove me away from collecting in the 90's and it hasn't stopped.

    I would love to invest in a Clayton Kershaw Rookie Card. I have no idea where to begin on that
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  • digicatdigicat Posts: 8,551 ✭✭


    << <i>Am kind of wondering why we are not seeing more people want to pick up Princes cards?? >>



    How do you figure that "more" people aren't buying Fielder cards?
    My Giants collection want list

    WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
  • mesapsamesapsa Posts: 306
    I'm starting to look for some of the 2005 cards..... I just don't see many of the higher end cards doing much movement when you would think that right now may be a good time to get a few picked up here .....
  • digicatdigicat Posts: 8,551 ✭✭


    << <i>I'm starting to look for some of the 2005 cards..... I just don't see many of the higher end cards doing much movement when you would think that right now may be a good time to get a few picked up here ..... >>



    Perhaps some of the demand got deluded by folks deciding to go after the 2002 UD Prospect Premiers card instead.
    My Giants collection want list

    WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
  • Stadium1978Stadium1978 Posts: 173 ✭✭
    2005 Ultimate Collection #240 is Prince Fielder's best RC (IMHO). It came out of a high-end product, it's autographed and it's numbered out of 99 made. The only thing it has going against it is that it's a sticker auto. There is no reason to think that this card won't always be more valuable than the 2002 Prospects auto or any of his other 2005-2006 base cards.
  • jradke4jradke4 Posts: 3,573 ✭✭✭


    << <i>2005 Ultimate Collection #240 is Prince Fielder's best RC (IMHO). It came out of a high-end product, it's autographed and it's numbered out of 99 made. The only thing it has going against it is that it's a sticker auto. There is no reason to think that this card won't always be more valuable than the 2002 Prospects auto or any of his other 2005-2006 base cards. >>



    Since it is numbered under 100 and auto'd I think that excludes it from PSA sets. That is if you are addicted to the registry.
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  • mcadamsmcadams Posts: 2,618 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    Since it is numbered under 100 and auto'd I think that excludes it from PSA sets. That is if you are addicted to the registry. >>



    Being numbered under 100 doesn't exclude a card from being in a set composite.
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  • jradke4jradke4 Posts: 3,573 ✭✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>

    Since it is numbered under 100 and auto'd I think that excludes it from PSA sets. That is if you are addicted to the registry. >>



    Being numbered under 100 doesn't exclude a card from being in a set composite. >>



    Your right I should have clarified, it would be excluded from key card sets. Would still be in master player sets and company sets.
    Packers Fan for Life
    Collecting:
    Brett Favre Master Set
    Favre Ticket Stubs
    Favre TD Reciever Autos
    Football HOF Player/etc. Auto Set
    Football HOF Rc's
  • ndleondleo Posts: 4,146 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I don't see a lot of 2005 Ultimate Fielders Autos go for a real auction, just a lot of BINs or high starting price auctions. Last year, especially in the 2nd half of the season, his rookies dropped in price. I saw a BGS 9.5 2005 Ultimate sell for less than $400. I guess people thought his 30 HRs were a disappointment.

    I think collectors are holding on to his cards waiting to see if he has a big season. Also I think it is a little early to speculate on his HOF chances. The reality is that any player under 30 is a long shot, too many things can happen like a steriod scandal. I never thought Jim Rice would get in and he did.
    Mike
  • MintMoondogMintMoondog Posts: 969 ✭
    2002 has my vote and that is the card I buy...but then again, I might be the only one who thinks the Verlander 2003 UD USA team is his "rookie" card. Perhaps more than anything it is because there is only one card to consider rather than dozens
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