I can say with confidence that rookie cards were being hyped as early as the mid-1970s. Much of the buzz at the time centered around the '54 Aaron, because he had recently passed Babe Ruth on the home run list. I recall being at a show during that era and listening to a dealer explain to me that his 1963 Rose was a "rookie card," and hence, deserved a higher price. I was only about 14 or 15 years old at the time, but I laughed the logic — and still do.
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