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

20 Unopened Baseball Card Packs Jeter Griffey Bonds Rookie Psa 10 Bgs Lot

Price: $21.00    

1984 Topps Baseball 8 Don Mattingly Rookie Card Psa 9 Mint

Price: $49.95    

2 Packs Baseball Cards 1986 Topps 1991 Score Ser 2 Fielder Irod Rookies Psa

Price: $.50    

1966 Topps Baseball 373 Giants Rookie Stars Hiatt Estelle Psa 7 Nm Card

Price: $5.00    

1966 Topps Baseball 392 Cubs Rookie Stars Hands Hundley Psa 8 Nm Mt Card

Price: $15.00    

1969 Topps Baseball 597 Al Rookie Stars Rollie Fingers Floyd Psa 4 Vg Ex Card

Price: $6.05    

1971 Topps Baseball 341 Steve Garvey Rookie Psa 6 Ex Mt Card

Price: $15.00    

Shelby Miller St Louis Cardinals Psa Dna Rookie Coa Signed Baseball Go Cards

Price: $34.99    

1974 Topps Baseball 456 Dave Winfield Rookie Psa 7 Nm Card

Price: $29.01    

1975 Topps Baseball Mini 223 Robin Yount Rookie Psa 6 Ex Mt Card

Price: $25.00    

Angels Baseball 1996 And 1998 Rookie Card Rc Lot Psa 8 And 9

Price: $4.99    

Reduced 1986 Cecil Fielder Autographed Auto Topps Rookie Baseball Card Psa Jsa

Price: $14.99    

Reduced 1971 George Foster Autographed Auto Topps Rookie Baseball Card Psa Jsa

Price: $29.99    

Reduced 1985 Topps Tiffany Eric Davis Rookie Baseball Card Reds Psa Mint Rare

Price: $14.99    

Pat Burrell Rookie Baseball Card Philadelphia Phillies 1999 Bowman 175 Psa 9

Price: $1.00    

1965 Topps Baseball Cards Rookie Stars Ackley Carlton 477 Psa 7 Nm

Price: $100.07    

1972 73 Topps Orioles Baylor Rookie Baseball Card Psa 8 Nm Mtcenterednice

Price: $17.99    

1968 Topps Nolan Ryan Rookie Graded Psa 5 Baseball Card No Reserve

Price: $130.45    

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.