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You are here: Home / Business/Industry News / Sports Memorabilia Industry News / Vintage Rookie Cards Still the Gold Standard

Vintage Rookie Cards Still the Gold Standard

January 2, 2013 By Rich Mueller

by Eamon Donlyn

It’s one of those concepts that is generally accepted among all circles in the collecting world.

Much like ‘guy codes’ that are just accepted whether we think about them (or like them) or not:

  • The QB always gets the lead cheerleader
  • Don’t drink another man’s last beer
  • Don’t bring your wife to the poker game

1965 Topps Joe Namath rookie cardJust like quarterbacks, rookie cards get all the attention.  It’s not something collectors even think about, it’s just understood.  For many, if you don’t have your favorite player’s rookie card, then you have a big hole in your collection.  Rookie cards are the Lombardi trophy of collecting – they are the barometer for which all collecting is measured.

There are a multitude of reasons for this, not the least of which is tradition and quite obvious.  The “RC” is the player’s first introduction to the collecting world.  When a player first enters the league and his first card hits the market, the unknown factors of the players performance makes the card value susceptible to heavy fluctuation.  It’s a risk to heavily invest in newer RC’s.

And for some unknown reason, that aura or risk and potential still resides around the RC’s in the vintage market, especially in the ungraded world.  It’s as if an ungraded rookie card depicting Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath or Emmitt Smith has all the potential they had before stepping foot on the gridiron as a professional.  That vintage rookie could yet be uncovered as a PSA 9 or miraculously as a GM MT 10 and leap to the top of the collector pool.

The look and feel of a rookie card includes some of the aesthetic appeal, as the player is sometimes posing before ever playing a single g1981 Topps Joe Montanaame, showing the youthful exuberance of potential before fulfilling it.

But these are just some of the subtleties to the emotional side of collecting cards of the top athletes. Having someone’s rookie card in your hand gives off the vibe that you hold something pure.  It stands for the the moment someone was immortalized in print before ever knowing if that card would end up in the stack of commons you can flip through at any shop or show, or if would be far too expensive for you to afford years later.

It’s tough to explain, but that feeling still carries with the card even if it is half a century later.  It’s a window into the distant past before the more recent past and present became a reality.  Before superstardom, or Hall of Fame accolades, the trading card represents the nubile nature of being a rookie.  And potential is the most important element in any business and the collecting world, and a rookie card represents just that – potential.

The clear cut answer why rookie cards are the most valuable, and have been for quite some time is the same as any market:  consistency.  People have long collected various things, such as just their favorite player, their favorite team, or anomalies such as error cards, or refractors, or certain sets.  But most of these trends or fads have run their course, or are specific to individual preferences or one card maker, subset or a single year.

Rookie cards are always a part of every year, regardless of trends and they always hold the top value due to their consistency. They are the gold standard of the industry, and one commonality regardless of the types of cards and collectibles introduced into the market.

Combining the realm of Vintage with Rookie cards, gives you the most consistent investment value over generations.  Vintage rookie cards are the best investment around, as the values still have potential to increase as they can become more scarce, and if their records still around longer than expected, even their performances on the field can gain more appreciation among fans and collectors over time.

Stories of legends get handed down from generation to generation, only furthering the value to collectors.  And rookie cards represent the first chapter in those stories, giving a window to the potential of the previous generation before it began.

Owning a rookie card is like owning a piece of a history book before it was written, and that is simply a priceless feeling.

Check out the most watched football rookie cards on eBay below.

2020-21 National Treasures RPA Rookie CALEB MARTIN LOGOMAN #144 1/1 RC 9 AUTO 10 2020-21 National Treasures RPA Rookie CALEB MARTIN LOGOMAN #144 1/1 RC 9 AUTO 10
58 bids - Price: $9,210.00 - Watchers: 243
2021-22 Flawless Jalen Suggs Rookie Logoman Game Worn 1/1 2021-22 Flawless Jalen Suggs Rookie Logoman Game Worn 1/1
58 bids - Price: $2,800.00 - Watchers: 214
2021-22 Flawless Stephen Steph Curry Signature Prime Materials Patch Auto /15 2021-22 Flawless Stephen Steph Curry Signature Prime Materials Patch Auto /15
54 bids - Price: $7,000.00 - Watchers: 213
1996 Sports Illustrated SI For Kids Golf Series 3 #536 Tiger Woods RC PSA 10 1996 Sports Illustrated SI For Kids Golf Series 3 #536 Tiger Woods RC PSA 10
51 bids - Price: $35,100.00 - Watchers: 212
2022-23 BOWMAN CHROME UNIVERSITY VICTOR WEMBANYAMA RC 1ST SP #101 RARE CASE HIT 2022-23 BOWMAN CHROME UNIVERSITY VICTOR WEMBANYAMA RC 1ST SP #101 RARE CASE HIT
31 bids - Price: $640.00 - Watchers: 201
2022 Donruss Optic Kenny Pickett Downtown GOLD #2/10 RC DT-KP Steelers  SR 2022 Donruss Optic Kenny Pickett Downtown GOLD #2/10 RC DT-KP Steelers SR
48 bids - Price: $3,949.00 - Watchers: 176
2022 Donruss Optic NFL Football Brock Purdy RC Downtown SP 2022 Donruss Optic NFL Football Brock Purdy RC Downtown SP
43 bids - Price: $1,975.00 - Watchers: 164
1996-97 Topps Finest Kobe Bryant RC #269 Gold Refractor BGS 8.5 Lakers Rare 1996-97 Topps Finest Kobe Bryant RC #269 Gold Refractor BGS 8.5 Lakers Rare
27 bids - Price: $2,175.00 - Watchers: 162
2003 Exquisite Kevin Garnett Limited Logos Patch Auto /75 Timberwolves BGS9.5! 2003 Exquisite Kevin Garnett Limited Logos Patch Auto /75 Timberwolves BGS9.5!
50 bids - Price: $7,100.00 - Watchers: 159
2018 Bowman Chrome Sterling Shohei Ohtani RC Rookie AUTO 13/30 PSA 10 HIGH END 2018 Bowman Chrome Sterling Shohei Ohtani RC Rookie AUTO 13/30 PSA 10 HIGH END
49 bids - Price: $6,844.00 - Watchers: 158
NIKOLA JOKIC BGS 9.5 2015-16 PANINI DONRUSS #215 RATED ROOKIE HOLO FOIL RC /199 NIKOLA JOKIC BGS 9.5 2015-16 PANINI DONRUSS #215 RATED ROOKIE HOLO FOIL RC /199
35 bids - Price: $380.00 - Watchers: 154
1986 Fleer Basketball #57 Michael Jordan RC Rookie card PSA 1 PR 1986 Fleer Basketball #57 Michael Jordan RC Rookie card PSA 1 PR
60 bids - Price: $1,575.00 - Watchers: 150
49187457 NIKOLA JOKIC 2015 Panini Prizm #335 Silver RC Rookie PSA 10 GEM MINT 49187457 NIKOLA JOKIC 2015 Panini Prizm #335 Silver RC Rookie PSA 10 GEM MINT
37 bids - Price: $2,850.00 - Watchers: 143
2018-19 Panini Green Choice Prizm Luka Doncic RC Rookie AUTO 7/8 PSA 9 MINT 2018-19 Panini Green Choice Prizm Luka Doncic RC Rookie AUTO 7/8 PSA 9 MINT
23 bids - Price: $3,250.00 - Watchers: 142
2000 Bowman Chrome Refractor #236 Tom Brady RC Rookie PSA 8 " SHARP CORNERS " 2000 Bowman Chrome Refractor #236 Tom Brady RC Rookie PSA 8 " SHARP CORNERS "
42 bids - Price: $19,000.00 - Watchers: 137
2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractor #111 LeBron  James RC Rookie BGS 9.5 HIGH END 2003-04 Topps Chrome Refractor #111 LeBron James RC Rookie BGS 9.5 HIGH END
7 bids - Price: $6,061.00 - Watchers: 134
JADEN IVEY 2022-23 Panini Impeccable AUTO Rookie Draft Pick Number #1/5 JADEN IVEY 2022-23 Panini Impeccable AUTO Rookie Draft Pick Number #1/5
9 bids - Price: $596.00 - Watchers: 131
2018-19 Panini Blue Prizm #280 Luka Doncic RC Rookie /199 BGS 9.5 " PRISTINE " 2018-19 Panini Blue Prizm #280 Luka Doncic RC Rookie /199 BGS 9.5 " PRISTINE "
28 bids - Price: $5,600.00 - Watchers: 131
2015 SP Authentic Future Watch Auto FWA Connor McDavid Rookie /999 BGS 9 Auto 10 2015 SP Authentic Future Watch Auto FWA Connor McDavid Rookie /999 BGS 9 Auto 10
21 bids - Price: $6,247.91 - Watchers: 130
SHOHEI OHTANI /25 PSA 9 MINT ROOKIE AUTO GOLD FRAMED RC 2018 TOPPS TRANSCENDENT SHOHEI OHTANI /25 PSA 9 MINT ROOKIE AUTO GOLD FRAMED RC 2018 TOPPS TRANSCENDENT
33 bids - Price: $1,761.00 - Watchers: 128
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About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for over 40 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]

Filed Under: Sports Memorabilia Industry News Tagged With: collectors, Emmitt Smith, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas, rookie cards, vintage

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