The Rookie Card of All Rookie Cards Is...What?!
The collecting world has long been fascinated by rookie cards, no matter the sport or era. Among the most iconic and sought after cards of the Hobby are first year cards of Wayne Gretzky (hockey), Tom Brady (football), Ken Griffey, Jr. (baseball), and Michael Jordan (basketball).
Despite the powerful hold that rookie cards exert on the Hobby, most collectors (myself included!) are ill equipped to answer this question: What is the rookie card of all rookie cards? If you're thinking, "That's easy: Jordan!" I'd better explain what I mean.
Today, rookie cards are easily recognized by their official rookie card badge. For example, the 2023 Bowman card of Paul Skenes is NOT a rookie card; it has no badge. Meanwhile, the 2024 card of Paul Skenes IS a rookie card; it has the badge. (See "RC" emblem circled in red.)
In the old days, however, this was not always the case. Of the four cards that led off this article, for example, only the Brady and Griffey indicated any hint of rookie status on the card front. Vintage baseball card collectors are of course extremely familiar with the many multiplayer Topps rookie cards of the 1960s and 1970s, even as many top rookie cards (e.g., 1969 Reggie Jackson, 1975 George Brett, 1979 Ozzie Smith) showed no rookie marking whatsoever.
But just how far back does this sort of thing go? What was the very first time a card self-reported possible rookie status? Had you asked me yesterday, I would have said 1959 Topps and provided examples such as these.
As it turns out, I'd have been wrong. Earlier today, Dolphin Doug posted a 1955 Bowman football card in a popular Hobby giveaway thread on the Bluesky social platform. (Note the "Rookie" designation between the player's name and position.)
As you can imagine, Cardinals quarterback Leggett wasn't the only player in the set whose card depicted rookie status. Review the checklist in Trading Card Database and you will find numerous examples, the first of which is card number 5, belonging to Leggett's Chicago teammate, halfback Lindon Crow.
From what I can tell, Bowman did not include this "Rookie" designator in its earlier football sets, which date back to 1948, nor did the company use it during its 1948-55 run producing baseball sets. As the Hobby is always full of surprises, I'm not quite ready to declare the 1955 Bowman Lindon Crow card the very first self-proclaimed rookie card—i.e., the rookie card of all "rookie" cards"—but at least at the moment it's the earliest candidate I'm aware of.
If you know of an even earlier rookie card (meaning here a card that says "rookie"), be sure to let me know. I'm easy to find on Bluesky, posting daily about the Hobby. In the meantime, here's a top-notch honorable mention from 1948.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.