General Forum

I thought inserts and parallels couldn't be a RC? Look no further than 2018 Shohei Ohtani. See Don Russ, and Topps Now cards listed as such.

I wouldn't consider any Topps Now cards as one, unless maybe it was the very first one, not every single subsequent one to follow.

To be honest, none of his 2018 cards are rookies, as he has a bunch of Japanese BBM cards released before 2018. These are merely his first MLB cards. Unless everyone is considering those pre-rookies or XRCs. That's really been beat to death so ignore this last paragraph.

You can be a rookie in more than one league.

The Topps Now/Panini Instant/Upper Deck Game Dated Moments cards are interesting...are they RC? They are a new concept so they can't be judged on old notions. (My thought is yes, for what that's worth)

Every single one is listed as a RC in the Topps Now set of his. I can maybe see the first release, but there's been more since, and surely a ton more to follow depending on how well he does this year. All of them are mail-ins, not pack inserted. Never worked like that before. With folks deciding for themselves, everything would be a RC. All the more reason to do away with the term.

Then the inserts in DonRuss. I guess no one else cares either way. Oh well, just thought I'd point it out.

I can say I have 2 Connor McDavid rookies, but neither one of them is really his rookie card. i have the UD Young Guns checklist card that has him on the front of it and UD lists it as a rookie card. I also have an O-Pee-Chee Chrome insert of him that is listed as his rookie card. 

I always list the premier brand's base set for that sport as the real rookie card of a player. Other then that, they are listed as rookie cards but not really a rookie card in my mind.

Maybe a new listing. the main one is a rookie card and all others from that year are considered sub rookies. Just thinking out loud here

This comes up once in a while. Let's recap RCs:

• RCs are now determined by the various rules in each sport. (This came about in the early 2000s)
• A player may have more than one RC, but not in different years
• Inserts and parallels do not get RC designations (unless the only card issued is in the insert/parallel set)
• The Topps Now cards are a new phenomenon, and I'm unsure of what "rules" are imposed on them

CAD - yes, and I've removed all RCs from the Purple set.

If any others are spotted anywhere, please either PM me or submit an inaccuracy report. Thanks!

Whereas, I don't know of any limits, and since I cannot read these 2 cards, I will say this: Generally speaking, subset cards are not considerd RCs. For instance, in the 1984-85 OPC hockey set, Steve Yzerman is on 2 cards - #67 (considered his RC) and #385 (Rookie Scoring Leader [LL], not an RC). Just like the modern Topps Update sets that include the "Rookie Debut" subsets, the RD cards are not RC cards (at least they shouldn't be).

All that said, these 2 Ohtani cards are technically not RCs as using the RC designation in foreign and/or minor leagues is not appropriate. It would be like using RCs in minor leagues sets - and that doesn't happen. These should be removed. (And I'll get to it when I get the chancetoday, unless someone gets to it first.)

Before the season started I had joked on Twitter that Topps was going to put an RC logo on every card that shows Ohtani including cards that he is in the background. Scary how close it is coming true.