Hank Aaron 1954 Topps vs Johnston Cookies -- which was issued first?

[JustinD]

Personally, I would go with the Indianapolis Clowns postcard as a true rookie and with the inclusion of negro league stats into the records it only cements that more.

I have also heard strong arguments that Johnston’s predates the 1954 Topps but falls into the usual regional bias. You can also add the spic & span into the argument as well.

IMHO, the 1954 Topps is the furthest down the list of all four to me as a rookie with the Clowns postcard winning easily. However, the 1952 Topps Mantle is a rookie because of Topps bias to 90% of mainstream collectors, so what do I know.

[bk400]

Thanks for the feedback. The Clowns postcard is pretty cool, but hard to find. I'm also personally not convinced that postcards are baseball cards, per se. Same as the spic and span. On the other hand, the Cookie Rookie seems to have been meant to be a collectible card and was issued in a team set that was issued for three years.

It's all in the eye of the beholder, I suppose. If you ask me, the 54 Topps autos relative to the price seems more attractive than the 54 Topps itself. And if you suspend cynicism around counterfeits, the population isn't increasing either.

The Cookie Rookies have a population that is quite similar to the autographed 54 Topps, but at a lower price.

For the record, I am neither a current seller nor an owner of the Cookie Rookie, but it is interesting especially if it is his first "card."