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Thanks to topnotchsky for this wonderful article.
http://freedomcardboard.com/blog/2012/0 ... rspective/
The season is under way, and ESPN recently came out with their list of the top 500 players in baseball. Zeroing in on the Top 10, one can debate the merits of the selection and order. Undoubtedly though, the list includes ten of the best players in baseball, and due to their popularity, these players offer many collecting options. Here I’ll discuss a bit about their rookie cards in general and, specifically, their most popular rookie autograph releases:
1. Albert Pujols: Pujols broke into the Majors in 2001 and was the rare player who did not have a rookie card before he reached the “bigs.” This (along with Ichiro’s RC season) made for some pretty exciting times in the hobby, and the card companies capitalized releasing a huge variety of rookie, rookie autograph, and insert cards of the slugger. It was also the first time I recall a company put a redemption into a product without saying what it was for. (Five redemptions cards for RC’s were inserted in Fleer Premium for unnamed rookie cards, one of which was later revealed to be Pujols.) The “Holy Grail” of all Pujols rookie cards (and the “Holy Grail” for many modern collectors) is the 2001 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols RC Autograph /500. Cost of Chrome RC Auto: recent BGS 9s have sold in the $4000–$5000 range.
2. Roy Halladay: Halladay’s rookie cards stem from 1997, and offerings include Bowman, Bowman Chrome, and Bowman’s Best. His Bowman Chrome RC card is a popular one amongst collectors; though his most highly regarded first-year cards are likely his Bowman Autographs. While they are inserts, they’ve been accepted by collectors much like any other rookie autograph and command serious prices. The card comes in three versions: blue ink, black ink (which sometimes looks red if it is faded), and gold ink. Estimates of the gold ink version are as low as 50–100 copies. They are also extremely condition sensitive with black-back borders, and in decent condition they command a nice premium. Price of a Bowman Auto: $175–$225 while a BGS 9 got $700. (Note that the price on raw copies is way down from where it has been over the last year or two.)
Continued.
http://freedomcardboard.com/blog/2012/0 ... rspective/
The season is under way, and ESPN recently came out with their list of the top 500 players in baseball. Zeroing in on the Top 10, one can debate the merits of the selection and order. Undoubtedly though, the list includes ten of the best players in baseball, and due to their popularity, these players offer many collecting options. Here I’ll discuss a bit about their rookie cards in general and, specifically, their most popular rookie autograph releases:
1. Albert Pujols: Pujols broke into the Majors in 2001 and was the rare player who did not have a rookie card before he reached the “bigs.” This (along with Ichiro’s RC season) made for some pretty exciting times in the hobby, and the card companies capitalized releasing a huge variety of rookie, rookie autograph, and insert cards of the slugger. It was also the first time I recall a company put a redemption into a product without saying what it was for. (Five redemptions cards for RC’s were inserted in Fleer Premium for unnamed rookie cards, one of which was later revealed to be Pujols.) The “Holy Grail” of all Pujols rookie cards (and the “Holy Grail” for many modern collectors) is the 2001 Bowman Chrome Albert Pujols RC Autograph /500. Cost of Chrome RC Auto: recent BGS 9s have sold in the $4000–$5000 range.
2. Roy Halladay: Halladay’s rookie cards stem from 1997, and offerings include Bowman, Bowman Chrome, and Bowman’s Best. His Bowman Chrome RC card is a popular one amongst collectors; though his most highly regarded first-year cards are likely his Bowman Autographs. While they are inserts, they’ve been accepted by collectors much like any other rookie autograph and command serious prices. The card comes in three versions: blue ink, black ink (which sometimes looks red if it is faded), and gold ink. Estimates of the gold ink version are as low as 50–100 copies. They are also extremely condition sensitive with black-back borders, and in decent condition they command a nice premium. Price of a Bowman Auto: $175–$225 while a BGS 9 got $700. (Note that the price on raw copies is way down from where it has been over the last year or two.)
Continued.
