Finding the Perfect Shot
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Rookie Card Photography | Who Picks the Rookie Card Photos? | How Rookie Card Images Are Chosen | Offense vs. Defense Rookie Card Photos
My friends… a picture is worth a thousand words. Ask yourself: “What do you remember the most when you think about your favorite card?” I’ll assume that most of you thought about the image. Not only is a rookie card most likely a player’s most well-known card, but it’s also their most valuable. Try to look at rookie cards the same way you do art. A painting only becomes iconic when it leaves lasting impressions on our imaginations. Rookie cards can be viewed similarly. It lasts a player’s lifetime and beyond, so Topps attempts to capture the best and most timeless images possible.
Of course, the value of rookie cards has grown exponentially over the last one-hundred-plus years. I highly doubt Honus Wagner sat down in 1908 and said to himself, “I better look fierce because my face is about to become the Mona Lisa of trading cards.” But you never know who’s going to be the next Honus. Picking the perfect photo is everything!
Mona Lisa Smile for days
If I had to choose which photo to use for a player’s rookie card, I’d probably give myself an anxiety attack. That’s an asinine amount of pressure. Thankfully, I don’t have this responsibility, but who does? Who makes these critical decisions, and how do they make them? I spoke with Jeremy Fullerton, Baseball Director of Product Development for Topps, and Ryan Hickey, Senior Product Manager of Trading Cards, to get you answers.
Rookie Card Photography
Every baseball game has dozens of photographers taking thousands of photos. Getty Images is the exclusive provider of all Topps cards, giving Topps access to the photo libraries of all in-stadium photographers. This relationship provides Topps with endless photos, which is crucial.
2024 Topps Baseball Series 1 #141 Elly De La Cruz RC
Who Picks the Rookie Card Photos?
Ultimately, it’s the editor’s choice. A rookie can live in one of three products: Series 1, Series 2, or Update Series. In the end, it’s the editor on the specific product’s editorial team who makes the call.
“Our editors roll with the best possible options we have at the time,” Fullerton said. “It’s their first card and the first one everyone sees.”
However, It’s important to note that there’s a ton of oversight during this process. Although every rookie card is important, extra attention is paid to the superstars. After all, that player’s rookie can become the face of the hobby one day.
“There are certain cards that we will get a sign-off on,” Hickey said. “We probably looked at the top five rookies in Series 1 and said, ‘Let’s make sure these images are perfect.’”
The Elly De La Cruz Topps Series 1 base card was one of those sign-offs. De La Cruz became the first shortstop in MLB history to hit at least twenty home runs and steal sixty bases in one season.
Another sign-off was for twenty-one-year-old Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez. The “Martian” was called up late in the 2024 season and will see important playing time in the postseason.
2024 Topps Baseball Series 1 #60 Jasson Dominguez RC
How Rookie Card Images Are Chosen
In my opinion, the hardest part of making a rookie card is picking that one photo out of a million different options.
“We want something memorable. Something iconic. It’s Elly taking a huge swing or Trout on his follow-through swing,” Fullerton said. “Something both special and exciting.”
2011 Topps Baseball Update Series #US175 Mike Trout RC
After all, these little pictures provide us with memories that will hopefully be burned into our brain’s hard drive forever, so they need to be as iconic as possible.
“Would I want this card to be my image during my lifetime?” Hickey said.
Topps does its best to narrow down the images and ultimately pick the one they think best defines a player’s career.
“I meticulously go through the images and kind of whittle it down, whittle it down, and whittle it down until I get to two or three,” Fullerton said. “And then I ask myself which one I’d want for my rookie card. And will this guy be excited about the picture we chose when he finally sees his card?”
Offense vs. Defense Rookie Photos
The saying “Chicks dig the long ball” is true. We do, and so does Topps. Offense photos are almost always preferred over defensive ones. Over the years, Topps has found that even if a hitter is better known for their defensive prowess – most collectors prefer seeing position players batting in their photos.
“If a collector visualizes somebody’s card, they’re most likely going to think of what their flagship RC looks like,” Fullerton said.
So, even though some insanely gorgeous and creative photos are taken throughout the season, Topps sticks with the nuts and bolts for a flagship RC photo.
“There are times when our editorial team will find a stunning image of Ronald Acuna diving head-first into second base, but we’ll hold that for a Stadium Club shot,” he said. “That’s a product where the photography drives much of the card value.” When the word “basic” is used to describe something it’s never a good thing, however, a flagship rookie card is a rare exception. Like I said in part one of my MLB Rookie Card Crash Course…there’s no need to hide behind the fancy stuff if you’ve already got the goods.
