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Few things elicit the adrenaline rush of snagging a legend’s rookie card. The player’s innocence, his untapped potential, and the invariably youthful image all combine to make rookie cards extremely collectible. Plus, everyone loves firsts.
Rookie cards of superstars are especially coveted. Jackie Robinson first appeared on 1948-49 Leaf and Hank Aaron debuted on a 1954 Topps. Roberto Clemente’s first baseball card was also a Topps, printed a year later in 1955.
Collectors have various reasons for obtaining rookie cards. One, no doubt, is an untarnished love of the game or adoration for a particular player, but in recent years, a major m...
Rookie cards tend to be a player’s most valuable baseball cards, but that isn’t always the case. For example, Mickey Mantle’s 1952 Topps card is widely considered more sought-after than his 1951 Bowman rookie card. Nor is Babe Ruth’s 1915 M101-5 Sporting News rookie card his most desired. In recent years, the historical preoccupation among collectors for rookie cards has been further eroded by the advent of specialty cards, such as game-used-jersey or game-used-bat cards, as well as autographed cards.
Some stars never had rookie cards. Lou Gehrig, for one, debuted in the big leagues in 1923 but did not have a baseball card until a 1932 U.S. Caramel card. Some collectors consider a player’s first card his rookie card—for them, that ’32 U.S. Caramel is Gehrig’s rookie card—while others believe a player’s rookie card must be released during his first season.
In 2006 there was a minor clamor to standardize what constituted a rookie card—card companies complied. Now, no player is eligible to have a rookie card until he is a member of his team’s 40-man roster (as a footnote, a player can still be in the minor leagues and on a 40-man roster at the same time). Once a player achieves this milestone, his first card is given a rookie logo on the front. As for minor league players, they get “first year cards” which mark a player’s pro debut, albeit in the minors.
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1955 Topps #164 Roberto Clemente Rookie Rc Pirates Hof Psa 7.5 Nm+ Centered
52 Topps Mickey Mantle Rookie Card
1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie New York Yankees #253 Psa 4
1987 Cubs Canon Greg Maddux Psa 10 Gem Mint Rc Rookie Holy Grail Card 1/1 Pop
1968 Topps Bb # 177 Nolan Ryan / Jerry Koosman Rookie Psa 8 Nm-mt Hof
1933 Goudey Lou Gehrig #92 Rookie Psa 5 Ex **high End** !! Hof Yankees
Free Shipping 1951 Bowman Psa 7 Oc Mickey Mantle Rookie New York Yankees #253
2001 Albert Pujols Signed Rc Rookie Topps Reserve Auto Bgs 9.5 /10 - Bowman
1951 Bowman Mickey Mantle Rookie Card-#253-ny Yankees-psa Vg-ex 4-beauty!
1967 Topps #569 Rod Carew Rookie Rc Hof Gai 9.5 Gem Mint Centered "razor Sharp"
2013 Bowman Baseball Jumbo (hta) Factory Sealed 8 Box Case Rookie Autos & More
1984 Topps #123 Dan Marino Dolphins Hof Rc Rookie Psa 10 Gem Mint Centered
1957 Topps #35 Frank Robinson Rookie Graded Psa 8
1971 Topps Bert Blyleven Rookie Mint Psa-9
1955 Topps Roberto Clemente Rookie Psa 4++ Vg-ex Nicely Centered
1941 Play Ball Rookie - Ted Williams #14 Psa 5 - Ex!
1965 Topps Steve Carlton Rookie #477 Psa 9!!!
1996 S I For Kids Series 3 #536 Tiger Woods Rookie Rc Psa 9 Mint 
Ty Cobb 1910 E101 Rookie Card Set Of 50 Very Rare Hall Of Famer
1964 Topps Pete Rose All-star Rookie #125 Psa 8 Nm-mt **high End** !!
2003 Bowman Heritage Robinson Cano Rc Rookie Auto !!! Bgs 9.5, 10 Auto !!!
2011 Bowman Chrome Jurickson Profar Blue Refractor Rc Auto 149/150 - Ref Rookie
Bryce Harper 2012 Topps Archives Rookie Auto 84 Topps Rc Retro Sp On Card Ink 
1993 Sp Derek Jeter Rookie Bgs 9 (9.5 9.5 9 9) 0.5 Away From 9.5 Rc #279 Yankees
Carlos Correa 2013 Bowman Chrome Rookie Rc Purple Refractor Ref Auto #d03/10 Ssp
2009 Bowman Sterling Mike Trout Auto/ Bgs 9.5/10 Rc Rookie
2013 Hyun-jin Ryu Bowman Rookie Rc White Ice Superfractor 1/1 Mint!!!
2010 Bowman Chrome Usa Bryce Harper Gold Refractor /50 Rc Usa18-bc8 Rookie
1958 Topps Roger Maris Rookie Indians #47 Psa 7.5!!!
2011 Bowman Chrome - Bryce Harper Rookie Auto Bgs 9.5
Bert Blyleven 1971 Topps #26 Psa 8 Rookie Card (rc) Hall Of Fame (hof)
1981 Topps #216 Joe Montana Rookie Rc 49ers Hof Psa 9 Mint Centered
1993 Ud Sp Derek Jeter Rookie #279 Foil Rc Bgs 9 Mint
1971 Topps #26 Bert Blyleven Psa 8 Near Mint/mint Rookie Hof
1955 Topps #123 Sandy Koufax Psa 4 Rookie Centered!
1954 Topps Hank Aaron Rookie Card Psa 3
1968 Topps Baseball Nolan Ryan Rookie Card Bvg 6 Bgs Jerry Koosman #177
1948 Leaf # 79 Jackie Robinson Rookie Card Poor Shape
2011 Bowman Chrome Refractor Bryce Harper Rookie Rc Signed Auto 410/500
2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Matt Harvey Blue Refractor Auto Rookie Rc Bgs 9 Auto 10
2011 Bowman Platinum Bryce Harper Auto Autograph Refractor Rookie Rc Bgs 9.5 
1954 Topps Ernie Banks Rookie Chicago Cubs #94 Psa 4
1957 Topps Frank Robinson Rookie #35 Psa 7 Nm **high End** !! Hof
1980 Topps Baseball Rickey Henderson Rookie Card Bvg 9 Mint
2012 Bryce Harper Bowman Chrome Blue Refractor Rookie Rc Auto /99
Reggie Jackson 1969 Topps #260 Psa 7 Rookie Card (rc) Hall Of Fame (hof)
2003 Bowman R&s Chrome #123 Lebron James Rookie Rc Cavaliers Psa 10 Gem Mint
1954 Topps #201 Al Kaline Rookie Rc Detroit Tigers Hof Psa 5 Ex 
Mike Trout Rookie Autograph 2012 Topps Chrome Dynamic Die Cut *no Reserve*
1993 Stadium Club Derek Jeter Rookie #117; Bgs 9.5 Gem Mint *read*
1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski Rookie Nm - Mt Psa 8 Pd
1986 Topps #187 Bernie Kosar Browns Rc Rookie Psa 10 Gem Mint Centered 
Manny Machado 2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Auto Refractor Bgs 9.5 Rookie
Manny Machado 2010 Bowman Chrome Draft Prospect Auto Refractor Bgs 9.5 Rookie
1983 Topps Tony Gwynn Rookie #482; Bgs 9.5 Gem Mint *read*
2013 Bowman Lucky Redemption #3 Autograph Rookie Card Taveras Auto? Wil Myers Sp
1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski Rookie #148 Psa 7, Nm
1996 Leaf Signature Series Mariano Rivera Rookie Auto/autograph
2010 Topps Chrome Mike Giancarlo Stanton Rookie Autograph Gold Refractor 22/50
2009 Ud Signature Stars Usa Bryce Harper Rookie Auto Jersey /899 Autograph Bgs 9
Recent News: Rookie Baseball Cards
Source: Google News
Big Money In Baseball Memorabilia
Call to the Pen, May 21stThe show stopper item was a card described as being only one of 10 known to be in existence produced by the Baltimore News American in 1914–a Babe Ruth rookie card. The selling price was $380,000. The better-known Mickey Mantle 1952 Topps rookie...Read more
Nebraska Huskers: Tuesday's Corn Flakes
Corn Nation, May 21stSomeone bids $6,100 for an auto'd Jack Hoffman rookie card...and then doesn't pay! [Beckett]; The Eugene Super Regional has been set up. Game one between Nebraska and Oregon is scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM Central this Saturday on ESPNU...Read more
Eddie Lacy Rookie Card Photo Shoot - WSAW
WSAW, May 20thThat's when the team begins their first session of organized team activities (OTA's). Rookie running back Eddie Lacy was among the more than two dozen rookies in L.A. over the weekend for their first rookie card shoots. Its the first time the rooks got...Read more
Royal Card of the Day 5/20/13: Young Yimmy Yobble
Royals Review, May 20thProbably because most collectors didn't give two shits about Jimmy Gobble and just wanted to invest in a rookie card. Children, that's why we do our homework before we invest. Gobble's 2002 year in Wichita saw him get 11 decisions in 12 starts, that's...Read more
Just Because: Greg Maddux's rookie card 'stache
CBSSports.com (blog), May 15thSome of us (me!) remember Greg Maddux as our all-time favorite baseball player. All of us with a brain consider him one of the greatest pitchers to ever take the mound in the bigs. But do we all remember his Donruss rookie card, porn 'stache and all?...Read more
Hyun-Jin Ryu's rookie card has embarrassing error
Yahoo! Sports (blog), May 9thLos Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu is looking pretty good in his first MLB season, after being imported from South Korea for more than $60 million. While he's doing a good job at baffling MLB hitters, Ryu's also confused some other folks. Case in...Read more
Leon Sandcastle Football Cards to Appear in 2013 Panini and Topps Products
The Cardboard Connection, April 24thDeion SANDERS ROOKIE CARD Mint Upper Deck Star RC No Res! $9.99, 2009242779184040 1 Image · 1989 Score Atlanta Falcons TEAM SET - Deion Sanders RC $6.99, 3806040518184040 1 Image 1991 PINNACLE #147 DEION SANDERS FALCONS...Read more
2012 Topps Five Star Football Rookie Card Guide
The Cardboard Connection, April 22ndEach 2012 Topps Five Star Football rookie card has three parallels, each of which have a jumbo swatch: Gold (#/55), Rainbow (#/25) and Five Star (1/1). That means in some instances, the Gold parallel is more plentiful than the base card. Besides the...Read more