There are many factors that determine a rookie card's value. The most obvious is the scarcity of the card. For rookie cards published before the 1980s, supply is more limited due to smaller production runs. As card collecting became more popular, trading card companies increased the number of issues in a printing, reducing scarcity. Besides scarcity the most common determinant of a rookie cards value is its condition or grade.

PSA Rookie Baseball Cards On Sale

Derek Jeter 1993 Pinnacle Baseball 457 Rookie Card Psa Graded Mint 9

Price: $20.50    

Garman Cooper Fisk 1972 Red Sox Rookies Baseball Card Psa Graded 8oc

Price: $49.99    

Jeff Bagwell Psa Graded Rookie Baseball Cards Lot Of 3 Astros

Price: $4.25    

Manny Ramirez Psa Graded Rookie Baseball Cards Lot Of 4 Indians

Price: $4.25    

Vladimir Guerrero Psa Graded Rookie Baseball Cards Lot Of 3 Expos

Price: $4.50    

Lot Of 100 Old Baseball Cards In Factory Sealed Packs Rookie Rc Auto Psa 10 Hof

Price: $9.99    

1995 Alex Rodriguez 133 Pinnacle Rookie Baseball Card Beautiful Psa Candidate

Price: $6.95    

1975 Sspc George Brett Rookie Rc Card 589 Baseball Not Topps 228 Or Psa Graded

Price: $3.99    

1975 Topps Mini 228 George Brett Psa 40 Vg Ex Rc Rookie Graded Baseball Card 75

Price: $59.95    

1975 Topps 228 George Brett Psa 50 Ex Rc Rookie Graded Baseball Card Not Bgs 75

Price: $59.95    

1975 Topps 228 George Brett Psa 50mc Ex Rc Rookie Graded Baseball Card Royals

Price: $47.74    

1975 Topps 228 George Brett Psa 40 Vg Ex Rc Rookie Graded Baseball Card Royals

Price: $45.00    

1972 Topps 778 Dempsey Rookie Rc High Raw Card Was Psa 90 Oc Baseball Mint

Price: $34.95    

1972 Topps 79 Carlton Fisk Rookie Pgs 45 Vg Exnot Psa Red Sox Rc Baseball Card

Price: $26.50    

1968 Topps 45 Tom Seaver Psa 40 Rookie Graded Vintage Baseball Card Mets Reds 2

Price: $33.00    

1994 Michael Jordan Psa Gem Mint 10 Graded Rookie Baseball Card 2 Mint 9 Rcs

Price: $20.00    

1990 Pro Cards Baseball Card 28 Jeff Bagwell Rc Rookie Psa 8

Price: $7.65    

Lot Of 200 Old Baseball Cards In Factory Sealed Packs Rookie Rc Auto Psa 10 Hof

Price: $18.99    

Cards are graded based on several criteria. Among these are the centering of the image on the card, the presence of gum or tobacco stains on the card and the condition of the corners of the card. Based on these (and other) factors cards are graded on a continuum. Each card is ultimately assigned a value from this continuum. All cards receive one of the following classifications: Gem Mint, Mint, Near Mint–Mint, Near Mint, Excellent-Mint, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor.

The better on the continuum a particular rookie cards places, the more value will be attached to the card. Collectors are forever in search of a rare rookie card in gem mint condition. That classification offers the highest potential financial reward should the owner ever wish to sell and also indicates that the card has an impeccable aesthetic value so long as it is kept in pristine condition.

Rookie cards have demonstrated that they appreciate in price more dramatically than any other baseball card. For this reason the popularity of rookie cards shows no signs of waning.