Best year for Rookies?

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Posted By: Jason L

Here's a stray thought from the very top of my head (read: I haven't done any research!):
Which year/issue do you think has the best class of rookie cards in it?
My obvious choices would be:
1951 Bowman (Mays, Mantle, Ford)
1954 Topps (Banks, Aaron, Kaline)
1957 Topps (both Robinsons, Maz, Drysdale, Bunning?)

any other thoughts on the subject?

I suppose you could also look at it not only from the perspective of how many HOFers had RCs in the issue, but also just the pure number of rookie cards, or perhaps the dollar value of the RCs (in NM for instance), or some other measure?

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Posted By: Phil Garry

How about 1955 Topps w/Koufax, Clemente & Killebrew......

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Posted By: Marc S.

with Ichiro and Pujols may end up being one of the better years...

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Posted By: davidcycleback

75 Topps will probably some day have 4 HOFer rookies: Brett, Yount, Gary Carter, Rice

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

1947 BOND BREAD........

Larry Berra
Gil Hodges
Ralph Kiner
Stan Musial
Jackie Robinson
Bobby Thomson




1949 LEAF........

Larry Doby
George Kell
Leroy Paige
Jackie Robinson






1949 BOWMAN........

Richie Ashburn
Roy Campanella
Larry Doby
Leroy Paige
Robin Roberts
Duke Snider





TED Z

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Posted By: Jason L

indeed, so many greats.

you know, those lists have many of the players whom I really wish I could have seen play, like Satch, Campy and Berra. -just to have a better understanding of who they were and how good they were. I still rememeber the stories my Dad has told me about going to see Campanella play, and how he would be amazed at how Campy could throw out base stealers without getting up from his crouch! THAT is the stuff I wish I could see. The things you need to be there for first hand in order to believe it. For me, it's Ichiro's throwing arm, Andre Dawson's size and Strawberry's arcing swing...

His stories about going to see games during his childhood are the reasons I collect cards of the players he remmebers seeing: Eddie Mathews, Campy, Snider

Thanks

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Posted By: Marc S.

on how you define rookie. Using a strict definition, I can't imagine any could argue anything other than the Old Judge set...given its preponderance of HOF rookie cards...

but that is a result of a structural dynamic (first big card set)

Marc

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Posted By: Jason L

and for that reason, I would be tempted to disqualify some of Ted's too, right? since those sets were the first major issues of the post-war period and had some "catching up" to do...

a much more recent exmaple - I have the same "problem" with the 1986 Fleer basketball set, where you find the "rookie" cards of Malone, Jordan, Barkley, Drexler, etc...hardly their first year.

What to do? What to do?

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Posted By: Jim VB

<<I guess it also depends on how you define rookie. >>


You are exactly right, Marc. Using the Beckett's definition, the 1933 Goudey set had about 237 "rookie" cards in the set. (Speaker, Lajoie and one other I forget were excluded.)

However all of us realize that the Babe was hardly a rookie in 1933.

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Posted By: Phil Garry

You guys are right about the Old Judge cards but this thread is in the post-war section so it should only include late 1940's - 1980's cards, correct?

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Posted By: nbrazil

ted...isnt doby's rookie the 48 leaf?

and do you know of any earlier snider cards?

thanks!

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Posted By: boxingcardman

To Yount, Brett, Rice and Carter add Keith Hernandez, Phil Garner, Fred Lynn

Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Although it is not really a card, Duke Snider's first appearance is on a 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers Team Issue Photo Pak. These are 6 1/2" X 9" and are difficult to maintain because of their size and none of the grading companies are able to encapsulate them.

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Posted By: Ted Zanidakis

NBRAZIL

I forgot to list Larry Doby in the 1949 Leaf issue. And, my research indicates that the 1949 Leaf card is his 1st card.
Doby's 1949 Bowman Hi# card was issued after the Leaf's were already in the market.


And, guys....why are we talking about OLD JUDGE cards here in this section of the Forum ?
This section is the Post-WWII forum......not a Post-Civil War one.

TED Z

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Posted By: Mark

51's amazing with Fox/Mantle/Mays/Ford/Irvin but I'm partial to the 54 year with Aaron/Kaline/Banks.

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Posted By: Jason L

Eddie Murray
Alan Trammell
Lou Whitaker
Paul Molitor
Jack Morris

2nd year cards:
Bruce Sutter
Andre Dawson
someone else I am forgetting...Dale Murphy?

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Posted By: Jason L

1956(Aparicio only?), 1964 (only Niekro?) or 1970 (no one?)

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Posted By: howard

Thurman Munson's rookie card is in the 1970 set.

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Posted By: Jimi

Gotta put a spot in here for my favorite Topps set, the 57s! How about TWO Robinsons in Brooks and Frank, Jim Bunning, Drysdale, and Mazeroski. Aside from the HOFers, it also has RCs from Colavito, Herzog, Boyer, Richardson, and Kubek. Plus, the Mantle, Williams, and Koufax are pretty popular cards from that set, not to mention the #407 card "Mantle/Berra."

Jimi

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Posted By: NickM

Carlton, Morgan, Hunter, and Perez, plus a faux rookie of P. Niekro (card calls him a rookie).

1957 also has IIRC Dick Williams' rookie card, while 1954 has Tom Lasorda. HOF managers deserve more love than they get.

WRT 1933 Goudey, Eddie Collins was also a holdover from prior national sets, and since many players appeared on multiple cards, have fun deciding which are rookie cards. :-D

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Posted By: Phil Garry

Nick:

I believe 1952 Topps High # is Dick Williams' RC.

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Posted By: Eric Brehm

To me a rookie card isn't very exciting unless it's of a pretty major player. My vote for the best group in one set goes to 1954 Topps Aaron, Banks, and Kaline.