Why don't more people collect Baseball Hall of Fame Rookie Cards?

[glchen]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

Phil-you poses the question to begin this thread as to why more people were not collecting HOF rookie cards. Let me ask a different question, one which ties to my prior post:

Why should anyone collect rookie cards instead of collecting one's favorite card of each HOFer (assuming one wants a card of each HOFer--I don't)

I don't collect this set yet (the HOF rookie run), however, it is on my list of the many things that I do want to collect. For me at least, I think, part of the appeal is that this is the first card of the player as a major leaguer, and this is the first step that he is taking to greatness in the major leagues. It's like this is how the person was before he became really famous. You can see the youth and the love for the game before that player truly became a "professional." Also, for most players, collecting the rookie card gives the set consistency. How do you determine the key card for that player when you compare it with your hobby friends? When you tell them that you got the rookie for Cal Ripken, they are much more likely to know what you are talking about, and you can share it w/ them. (Was it the Donruss, Topps, or Fleer version?) Your childhood hobby friends will typically say that's pretty cool, I always wanted one of those. They'll have a decent idea what the card image looks like. If you tell them you got the 1986 one because you liked the image, most of them won't even know what the image looked like even if they did collect cards as kids. This is not to show off. This is because you want to be able to speak a "common language" with the average collector rather than discussing really specific card images that no one cares about but you. Do you want the conversation to continue or just end w/ you? I hope this makes sense.

The prewar aspect is a little different as has already been discussed previously in this thread and others. There's ambiguity of what is the true rookie card, the cost, and the scarcity involved. This is probably a really bad analogy, but to me, it would be like collecting the Cracker Jacks. You can do the 1914, you can do the 1915, or you can do a mixture of both. Therefore, for prewar, for myself, I would probably try to approach it this way. I will take a look at the rookie card for that player. If the card is not obtainable or I like the image of another card (e.g., a key card) much better, I'll get that key card instead of the rookie. However, if I don't really have a big preference, I'll try for the rookie by default. For example, Chick Hafey is not a really important HOFer to me. I think I'll just try to get the rookie. However, for Ty Cobb, there are some key cards (like the CJ's) that I really like, so I think that I would like to get one of those instead of one of his true rookie cards. Same thing with Cy Young, as his rookie is practically unobtainable. I'll fill that slot with a key card with an image that I really like.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Gary:

I like your example of Chick Hafey for this reason:

Like you said, Hafey is not a "major" Hall of Famer but if you are doing the rookie set, you need him just as much as Cobb or anybody else. It turns out that Hafey's rookie card hails from the Middy Bread Die-Cuts set, so scarce that I have never even seen one for sale or auction. If one did come up, I believe it would go for $1,000+ if in decent condition. For those who are budget conscious, would you be willing to spend that kind of money on a marginal Hall of Famer?

The true hard-core rookie card collector is going to say "yes", most everyone else will say "no".

[h2oya311]

Originally Posted by bcbgcbrcb

gary:

I like your example of chick hafey for this reason:

Like you said, hafey is not a "major" hall of famer but if you are doing the rookie set, you need him just as much as cobb or anybody else. It turns out that hafey's rookie card hails from the middy bread die-cuts set, so scarce that i have never even seen one for sale or auction. If one did come up, i believe it would go for $1,000+ if in decent condition. For those who are budget conscious, would you be willing to spend that kind of money on a marginal hall of famer?

The true hard-core rookie card collector is going to say "yes", most everyone else will say "no".

yes!!!

[Exhibitman]

I measure myself against other collectors by height.

It took me a long time to get to the point of collecting only what I like. If a rookie card appeals to me I would buy it but if not I am not interested.

[FirstYearCards]

I've had plenty of input with regards to my site: www.firstyearcards.com , but would like to take it a step further. I have a fairly indepth list of all HOF first year cards and prior cards/memorabilia, but would like more input and scans. I have been selective about what I post on NET54 as it has been my personal hobby/collection.

How should I pursue more info on primarily pre-rookie memorabila of each player? Should I start a thread or try to make my site more public/accesilbe?

I realize I can't find every card, image, deawing, pin, pennant, poster etc. on my own, but I have a good start and think my site could be a good central site for this info.

I like the idea of adding a section that lists all the sets that contain HOF first year cards and will add that soon, thanks, Bill.

[bcbgcbrcb]

Bill:

Why not try both, post on Net 54 and your website.

[Runscott]

Phil, you have won me over. I have decided to collect rookie semi-pro postcards of HOF'ers. But that's as far as I go.

[triwak]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Phil, you have won me over. I have decided to collect rookie semi-pro postcards of HOF'ers. But that's as far as I go.

Uh oh... Another bidding competitor!!

[bcbgcbrcb]

Well then, Scott, do I have some things for you ............

[wake.up.the.echoes]

I find this topic to be completely fascinating. As a child of the 1980s, I have always been taken with the concept of a rookie card. As I turned away from collecting cards from the 4 major sports in the United States (baseball, football, basketball, and hockey), and toward collecting, first, boxing, and now soccer cards exclusively, I have tasked myself with identifying and collecting the "rookie" cards of significant players. Soccer doesn't really have an international hall of fame, so deciding the players to collect is a unique part of my pursuit. I am aware of beckett's definition of what constitutes a rookie card. In my own pursuit I decided to try and find the earliest released card for each player. I definie "rookie card" as a player’s earliest appearance on an item made for either collectible or informational purposes. This broad definition of the term allows me to collect a wide array of items. I very much appreciate the ideas that you guys have of setting up a page/database that identifies several options for which rookie card to collect. I think it helps a collector who would prefer a traditional card as a rookie to collect, and also the collector who would prefer to collect the earliest collectible, regardless of the "medium" on which it is presented. I hope to emulate/imitate some of your work with regard to creating a soccer database.

[Runscott]

I have never felt the need to collect rookie cards, but I could see building a collection of images of each great pre-wwi player.

'HOF' designation doesn't mean much to me, as the HOF is missing a lot of key players. 'Card' doesn't mean much to me, as a beautiful cabinet photo beats the hell out of an ugly 'rookie' card - besides, everyone has a different definition of 'card', and everyone has a different definition of what a 'rookie' card is.

Example - My cabinet of the 1906 Pirates has the greatest Fred Clarke image I know of. Why would I need a card that wasn't part of a set I collect?