BUYING TRUE-BLUE ROOKIE CARDS - A BEGINNER'S GUIDE

I hate to start off so negative but, nothing infuriates me more than seeing a card listed on okayas a rookie card when itclearly isnot! A lot of sports card buyers are either kids or their unknowing parents. Hopefully this guide will clear up this issue once and for all. This guide applies to the hobby of basketball card collecting only--though much of its content applies to other sports. Keep in mind, that a few people (sellers?) are not going to appreciate this information that I'm sharing with you. This is the truth as I see it and the truth has been known to hurt others. There are plenty of resources out there pertaining to the hobby of collecting sports cards (and that will back me up)and I regemend that you read some of them. The facts presented to you do not belong to me, they belong to the hobby as a whole. They are just a collection of facts that I've read along the way in the pursuit of building my owncard collection. I'm just presenting these facts so that you don't make some of the samemistakes that I havemade over the years.
Truly, the easiest way to determine whether a card is a rookie card is by purchasing a Beckett's or Tuft Stuff magazine which clearly signifies a rookie card within a given set by utilizing the symbol "RC" or by means of Highlighting the player's name. But if your a Nuts n' Bolts type of person--you will need to continue on reading this guide. First, lets define what a "true-blue" rookie card is. By pure definition: "A rookie card is a player's first appearance on a regular issue card from one of the major card producinggepanies that has a license with theNBA,and has been nationally distributed." Such a short and simple definition that has been misconstrued and misinterpretedby some sport card sellers in the name of profit. For those who are new to this hobby andin case you do not know this, a player's rookie card is the most significant card to own, in any sport, especially if that player begees a sports legend during his careerand begees a Hall of Famer afterward. A card that you paid little for could all of sudden begee the most sought-after piece of cardboard you have ever owned--fetching several hundreds and on occasion, thousands of dollars. So for some collectors out there, owning a rookie card is like owning a piece of stock--an investment of sorts. So it is crucial that when you buy a rookie card--a "True-Blue" Rookie Card is what you get.
Now fora dose of basketballcardhistory with a pinch of perspective. Basketball has begee very popular in the past twenty years. Because of this popularity, there are now several brands of basketball cards out there. See, there was a time when basketball wasn't so popular--a matter of fact, the only time prior to these modern times (defined as 1986 through thepresent) that basketball cards were produced year after year, was when The Topps gepany produced basketball cards from the 1969-1970 season through the 1981-1982 season. So, back then (in those simpler times) if you wanted a rookie card of Larry Bird, all you would have to do isgo to your local candy store, gas station,pharmacy, or hobby shop (though there were very few in 1980)and buy some packs of 1980-1981 Topps cards until you got it (Bird's R/C). Not quite as simple today! Today's collectors are gepounded not only with several manufacturers of cards,but with several brands of cards produced by these manufacturers. What to buy, you asked? First, I regemend that you set a price point--decide how much you're willing to spend. Second, find a rookie card of the desired player that has a appealing appearance--if you think it looks good, chances are others will. And third, if at all possible, buy a serial-numbered rookie card. These are rookiecards, which arrived to the basketball card hobby during the 1998-1999 basketball season,with a stated amount produced and printed on the card (for example: 137/999 which means that only 999 cards were produced and you're looking at the 137th one printed)--this way you know that there is a finite amount of these cards. Typically,serial-numbered cards cost a little more than non-serial ones--but if you can swing it--do it! In the late 1980's and early 1990's there was a phenomenal amount of people either entering or going back into the card collecting hobby. Sadly, several manufacturers over-produced their product lines to keep up with the demand. Today, with few exceptions, most of these cards havevery little valueas the supply way out-stripped the demand.If you took my advice to buy a Beckett's or Tuft Stuff magazine, take a look at sets from 1989-1995 (any sport) and look at the value of these cards--look for superstar cards and rookies, you will see what I mean. Today the hobby is a different animal and the manufacturers havechange their productiontactics to a much more positive note. And don't fear, okay is here--I can't think of a greater venue for finding what you're looking for or for given a collector a legitimate opportunity of gepleting his or her sets. The main thing is to attain enough knowledge so that you make educated decisions on your rookie card and regular card purchases.Are you ready? Let's break it down!
There are several manufacturers of sport cards. You have Upper Deck, Topps, Fleer (which went bankrupt last year but the rights to the name were purchased by Upper Deck), SkyBox (which used to be astand-alone manufacturer until it was purchased by Fleer a few years back), Hoops (which also was a stand-alone manufacturer until it was purchased by Fleer many years ago), Press Pass, Sa*ge, Collector's Edge (who also went out of business)Classic and a few others not worth even mentioning. Now, if that isn't confusing enough, let me add the fact that these manufacturers produce several brands--just think of brands as sets. For example, Upper Deck produces MVP, SP Authentic, SPx, Upper Deck, Upper Deck Rookie Debutand several others. Topps and Fleer have produced several brands/sets too--and the names of these issues change from time to time. Just keep this in mind, each brand is it's own entity. What I mean here is that whether you own the first regular issued card (go back to the "true-blue" rookie carddefinition) of lets say LeBron James from a pack of Topps or Topps Chrome or Upper Deck Sweet Shot or Upper Deck MVP or Fleer Tradition or Fleer Focus--they are all rookie cards--because all of these manufacturers, Upper Deck, Topps, Fleer, SkyBox, Hoopshave a license with the NBA to make the cards in the first place and the manufacturers, along with the NBA and the NBA Player's Association influence, decide on the number of brands/sets(and each brand/set produces a rookie card of its own) that the manufacturers can create. Now of course I'm not suggesting that all rookie cards of Lebron James are the same thing or worth the same value. For example, the present (1/06) valuefor a 2003-2004 Topps rookie card of LeBron James is: Low Price $8.00 - High Price $20.00. Not bad if you bought one pack of Topps for $1.99 and got that card. On the other hand, lets say you plunked down $500.00 (the truth)for a pack (yes, one pack)of 2003-2004 Exquisite Collection (produced by Upper Deck)and you pulled the LeBron Jamesrookie card--well I'm sure that you would expect it to be worth more than $20.00 dollars? Presently (1/06) it is valued at Low Price $800.00 - High Price $1,200.00! I am illustratingthis to you just to show youhow far this hobby has grown or as others like to say, matured. So, just remember this: a brand is its own entity or like a set. The rookie card is the first (and typically in the world of basketball--the only) appearance of a player within a given brand/set. And the majority of the cards produced today have the words "rookie card" imprinted on the face of the card--but this leads us to another problem area--Parallel Cards!
The parallel card is "almost" anexact copy of a regular card but with a visible and/or stated twist. They arealways harder to obtain than the regular card, as it is far less produced. For example,within a given brand/set lets say that the regular cards have a white border. The parallel cards may have black borders instead and quite possibly be serial-numbered (For example: #10/50--meaning only 50 of these cards exists and you have the 10th one produced). At this point you must be saying to yourself "Why is he telling me all about this--I'm already confused and amonly interested in rookie cards." Well the reason is is that these parallel cards not only mimic the base cards but also the rookie cards too. By pure "true" rookie definition andbased on the hobby's definition of such, these cards should not be considered "true-blue" rookie cards. And remember, I just said that these cards mimic the base and rookie cards--so if the rookie card says rookie card on it, rest assure that the parallel card does too. This is why it is very easy to sell them as such (rookie cards), the wording is on the card itself! Now, that doesn't mean that they are bad to own or that they are not or will not be worth anything in the future. These cards just don't fit the definition of a "true-blue"rookie card--that's all. Quite possibly the hobby may change its tune and grant rookie card status to these cards in the near future--but as it stands today--they are not "true-blue" rookie cards. And one last note and amatter of fact about parallel cards--they typically fetch more money than the "true-blue" rookie cards they mimic--and this is based on the scarcity of these cards. Other red flags to look for. A rookie card cannot be an All-Star, Highlight, In-Action, League Leader, Super Action,and Team Leader card. These terms apply more to early 80's through mid-90's card sets. Also, Insert Cards obviously cannot be rookie cards as they are not part of the main set. Insert cards are defined as a card of a different type, a mini-poster or sport collectible card (For example: elaborately artistic designs, cards containing jersey-swatches and/or autographs)contained and sold inside the same packaging along with a card or cards of a major set. Though let me add that in these most recent modern times you can find autographed and/or jersey swatches (and sometimes both) that are true-blue rookie cards. The best way to determine whether or not they are rookie cards is by looking at the back of the card to see if there is a simple number on it (For example: #163) versus a number that has letters before it (HMJSY-25). If you have the later, you have an insert card, not a card within the base set. Confused, read on.
The biggest seller scam thatI have seen on okay is the use of college cards. These cards areproduced by such gepanies as Press Pass, SA*GE, Collector's Edge, Classic. At no fault of the above gepanies, some sellers list these cards as rookie cards. In the world of basketball, you are not a true-blue rookie until you get drafted into the NBA. Those above gepanies have licenses with various colleges and amateur sports associations (NCAA)--not with the NBA. This is why these cards should never be considered as true-blue rookie cards. Once again, these cards are not bad to collect--especially if you like a particular player and want cards of him or her during their college days--they're not bad--they're just not true-blue rookie cards. Do all cards depicting players in their college uniformnot "true-blue"rookie cards? Unfortunately the answer to this question is, no--which adds to more confusion. Some gepanies (Upper Deck, Topps) have produced rookie cards with players wearing their college uniforms--but to reiterate: Upper Deck, Topps, Fleer, SkyBox, Hoops and all of their brands/sets are licensed with the NBA and a player is not a rookie unless he or she gets drafted in the NBA or WNBA for women (Pinnacle, Fleer and Rittenhouse)and that a NBA/WNBA licensed gepany produces a rookie card of such players. It's all about the licensing--Press Pass, SA*GE and Collector's Edge do not have a license with the NBA/WNBA, so none of their cards could or shouldbe consideredtrue-blue rookie cards! Fun to collect? Yes. True-Blue Rookie Cards? No. Simple!
Two more issues to tackle and we are finished. Lately I have notice a little of this happeningon okay: The intentional misuse of the term "Extended Rookie Cards or better known as XRC." If you're new to this hobby you may have seen or heard ofthis term, but probably don't know what it means. I'm not going to get into the definition nor the history of this term, but will just tell you this: This term, Extended Rookie Card (XRC), within the world of basketball refers to rookie cards fromthree (3)mid-1980's sets. Those sets are 1983, 1984, and 1985 Star gepany Sets. That's all you need to know! If you see this term being used on anything else--it is a geplete fraud being performed by a bad seller--period. And lastly,Rookie-Year Cards. Though you rarely see this in current card issues, it's still out there in severalolder sets-- especially from the early 1980's through the mid-90's. A rookie-year card is a second card of a rookie playerwithin a given set. Going back to the pure definition of a "true-blue"rookie card, it must be his (or her) first appearance on a card within a given set--correct? For example, in the 1996-1997 season Fleer produced a brand/set entitled "Metal." Now, 1996 is Kobe Bryant's rookie year and if you look at this 250 card(Metal) set you will find that Kobe has two cards. The first one, Card #137 is his rookie card. The other card, Card #181 is not--and why is that? because #137 gees before #181--which makes Card #137 Kobe's first appearance within the set, which in turn makes it his "true-blue" rookie card.As I stated before, Ihaven't seen nor recallseeing any rookie year cards in awhile(within the basketball card hobby) --it could be quite possible that the manufacturers saw this trend of sellers trying to sell rookie-year cards as "true-blue" rookie cards and possibly decided to stop the practice of producing them--I'm only speculatingon this theory--and nothing stops the manufacturers from producing them again.
One final note: Please, please buy Penny-Sleeves (typically you get 100 for a $1.00--hence the name) which are thin plastic covers to placeyour cards inand Top-Loaders (A thicker plastic holder typically costing $1.99 - $2.49 for a box of 25) for your "true-blue" rookie cards. If you bought a Tiffany Lamp--you wouldn't place it outside on the back porch would you? Take care of your rookie cards, as they may trulybeworth something someday. You can purchase these products at your local hobby store,some retail outlets and of course--on okay!
So as you can see, this hobby (like anything else you start out doing) can be a little confusing at first. But hang in there, this hobby is also very rewarding--especially if you're collecting with your children (which is how I got started many years ago with my son). As regemended before, Buy a Beckett's or Tuft Stuff magazine to get more insightabout the hobby. Also I highly regemendjoining Beckett.ge-- it's free (unless you want access to yourcard's individualvalues). Beckett's offers you free access to one of the largest data bases of sports cardsin the world--it is a truly great place to be for all sports card collectors. It takes a little time to learn how to navigate around, but it is well worth the time and effort and no, I don't work for Beckett's.
I hope that you found this guide to be helpful of sorts--I know it's a lot to digest--but you are now better prepared than ever to purchase a true-blue rookie card! And as always, best of luck with your bidding