[gonzo]

My recollections as a collecter starting at the end of the 70s:

The first Beckett guide coming out in 1979 boosted older rookie cards, since now even beginning collectors knew which cards they were. But the first rookie card I remember being a big deal during the player’s rookie year was Fernando Valenzuela in 1981. Before that, I don’t remember even older rookie cards having a huge premium, outside their age and the desirability of certain sets.

I remember that, collecting in 1980, I felt kind of cheated when I got a multiplayer rookie card. But in 1981, the Topps Traded sets came out, providing full-card versions of Valenzuela and Raines. The trend continued, with the big year-of rookies that I remember being Ripken in ‘82, Boggs and Strawberry in ‘83, and especially Gooden and Mattingly in ‘84. (I don’t remember Gwynn or Sandburg being as big a deal during their rookie years, but that may just be due to the circle I collected in.) As rookie cards increased in value, demand rose for rookies of other active stars like Brett, Henderson, and so forth. Pete Rose took off big time as he passed Musial for the NL hit record in 1981 and continued his pursuit of Ty Cobb.

By 1984, it was all about the rookies. Beckett Monthly let people track card values as if they were stocks, and some folks were imagining that their stash of Mattinglys would someday put Junior through college.