by Eric Bonnici B.Sc. B.A.
Article Copyright © 2005, Alexander Joseph & Associates. All Rights Reserved.

With all the hype surrounding Sidney Crosby's ascent to the NHL, hockey card hobbyists anxiously await the release of his rookie cards. While In The Game Trading Cards Inc. put out Crosby cards in the 2004 2005 Heroes and Prospects set, they were not officially licensed by the NHL. The first officially licensed NHL cards for the 2005 2006 rookie class were put out by Upper Deck in the 2004 2005 SP Authentic Rookie Redemption set. As soon as the 2005 NHL draft revealed that Crosby was drafted by Pittsburg, the SP Authentic Pittsburg Rookie Redemption auction end price on eBay skyrocketed. I had to have that Sidney Crosby card so I bought one right away. Imagine my surprise when I learned that would not be considered a true rookie card. This article was written after I made that discovery and it will reveal what I discovered a true rookie card is.

Without doubt Sidney Crosby rookie cards will be the most popular to collect. One of the most highly sought after Sidney Crosby cards, at the time of this writing, is the 2004 2005 SP Authentic Rookie Redemption RR24 Pittsburg Penguins card. (As autograph rookie and autographed patch/jersey cards are released they are sure to become Sidney Crosby's most sought after and expensive rookie cards on the market). Immediately following the 2005 NHL Entry Draft the SP Authentic RR24 Crosby card skyrocketed on eBay from an average of about $40 to $250. I purchased one immediately for $250 on eBay and I also managed to trade two Jordin Tootoo rookie cards for a second copy of the Pittsburg Redemption card.

Imagine my surprise when I read about the SP Authentic Pittsburg Penguins Rookie Redemption Sidney Crosby card in Beckett Hockey saying "in no way, shape or form will it be recognized as a true rookie card".

That's when I began researching what exactly is a true rookie card. Thanks to a lot of help from the members at the Beckett message boards and some independent research on the Internet here is what I found:

In Hockey These Are The Criteria Of A True Rookie Card RC:

1. The hockey card must be issued by a major trading card manufacturer. Examples, include Upper Deck, Topps, In The Game, and Pacific Trading Cards. Note: Upper Deck is the only NHL/NHLPA licensed company so far for the 2005 2006 NHL season.
   
2. Both the league and players' union must both agree to issue a license. The NHLPA licenses player images and the NHL licenses use of team logos/names.
   
3. A true rookie card must be issued in a product after the player completes at least one regular season NHL game. For goalies I believe they can be a back up for 3-5 games.
   
4. 4. A true rookie must be widely distributed to the public as part of the base set or an update to the original base set. Redemption cards only count if they are redeemable for cards that are numbered as part of the base set.
   
5. From what most have agreed on, there must be more than 99 copies of the hockey card issued.
   
6. Any redemption card that is not numbered into the base set, is in a subset, is an insert like a numbered parallel to the base set, or issued before the player actually plays an NHL game will not be considered a true rookie card.
   
7. The definition of a true rookie card can and has changed over time.
   
8. Note that I feel the criteria listed above are heavily influenced by Beckett Hockey Collector magazine. Without doubt Beckett is the most popular price guide and the one I follow most closely, they even will place the designation RC next to true rookie cards in their price guide. It should be noted that there are other price guides that may vary in their definition of what a true rookie card is. However, I would say 99% of collectors follow Beckett and consider it the only source for pricing hockey cards.
   
9. A final point is that these are guidelines and are not set in stone, they can change and have in the past, with the current mindset of the hobby trendsetters, leaders, and collector population themselves. You can rest assured though that these are solid guidelines to follow when determining whether or not a card is a true rookie card.

There you have it, the guidelines that define a true rookie card, which I researched after finding out my Sidney Crosby card will not be considered a true rookie card. While it may not be considered a true rookie card, it will be one of the first officially NHL / NHLPA licensed Sidney Crosby cards put out by a major manufacturer, Upper Deck. The sweetest part is that there will only be 399 copies of this card in existence. At the same time I have learned what a true rookie card really is and hope you enjoyed sharing the learning experience with me.

About The Author:

Eric Bonnici is the Director of Internet Marketing and Development at Alexander Joseph and Associates and has been doing business on the Internet since 1998. He started collecting hockey cards during the 2003-2004 season and quickly realized that things had changed from when he collected as a kid in the early 1980's. So many brands, manufactures, insert sets, subsets, etc. had him confused and overwhelmed. He shares what he has learned through the hockey card related content and articles on his web site.To read more of Eric's hockey card articles or to buy, sell, or trade hockey cards with him visit www.hockeyheadquarters.com .

Article Copyright © 2005, Alexander Joseph and Associates. All Rights Reserved.

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