General Forum

As far as I know a base card is still a RC if it is still his first card.. Usually has a RC on it 

The problem is all the parallels are now getting RC logos too, which might be causing the confusion. But yes, the base card is still the rookie

Isn't it funny that we all say the first base card is his rookie but when we all VERBALLY  talk about a players rookie card we all say for example

i have the 2011 Finest Mike Trout Green Refractor Autogtaph rookie card. 
 

or I have the 2020 Bowman chrome purple refractor rookie card of Bobby Witt.
 

my point is we verbally say rookie card even if it's an insert card but when on the forums we leave the word rookie out

Hmmm I will admit I am guilty of this very thing but I don't understand why we ALL do it or at least I should say MOST of us do it.  

I am thinking the early 1990's, after that they seem to be SP's at the end or high numbers of the set. Technically still part of the base set, just harder to pull from packs. 

It hasn't changed. The base set NFL card (not college) is still the RC card. The RC logo on all but baseball base sets has become all but meaningless. The other leagues (NFL, NHL, NBA) have no rules nor an official RC logo. Panini even puts it on college cards.  The RC logo on all the parallels is just laziness. They don't want to take the time to make separate plates without the RC logo.

Personally I would say "rookie year card" in those instances. As you say though a lot of folks do miss that seemingly minor but all important additional word. 

Everyone has their opinion what a RC should be.  Just like the opinion about what years are junk era.  IMO the real meaning of RC has gone by the way side.  

Appears Admin has set rules and they should be followed.   BUT there are members that add "RC" how they want it to be.   By what I have find in the FAQs   the player's first major release card, is considered their rookie card (RC).      IMO it is not really clear  what if Topps releases a card and a  couple of weeks later Fleer releases the same player's card is Topps the RC and not the Fleer?

Unfortunately, Admin thinks a 100% college card in a Major release is an RC card.

Rookie Card might not be in the rookie year in football.  For example, Alan Faneca was drafted in 1998, but he didn't have an NFL card AT ALL until 2002. Another example is Mitchell Swartz. Drafted in 2012, 4x all pro, superbowl champ, and as of yet, NO RC at all. In cases like this I would grab a panini instant, unfortunately, I have never found a 2016 panini instant of him for sale. I filled his hole in my collection with a 2015 panini california bears card. Damon Harrison.  If you are trying to catch nfl HOFers in the making, collecting rcs of the All-Pro teams are a good way to start, but the OL and DL guys can be challenging, sometimes they don't work out, such as damon harrison, but it is way better than doing the same with the pro bowl.