Hobbies And Interests
Definition
A rookie card is a player's first professional sports card. They cannot be limited or special insert cards and must be part of a brand's base set. The card must be licensed by the professional sport and the player must be part of the professional team's roster.
Identification
As of 2010, rookie cards are generally labeled as such on the front of the card. Older rookie cards are tougher to identify, but they are found in sports card price guides with a "RC" label beside them. A rookie card does not have any full seasons of professional statistics on the back, as the player has not yet completed a season at the highest level.
Advantages
Over time, rookie cards have been consistently popular in the trading card industry. They have not gone in or out of style as other card types have, and they represent a way for collectors to identify star players before they are considered as such by the media.