A HOFer without a RC?!?

 Let's say you collect rookie cards of baseball hall of famers. 

You were expecting Adrian Beltre to be a first-ballot inductee so you planned ahead and picked up his 1997 Bowman (or Chrome) rookie card. 

Todd Helton was nearly elected in 2023, so you prepared by picking up his 1993 Topps Traded RC. 

Perhaps Joe Mauer's first-ballot election caught you by surprise. Not to worry; his Bowman, Bowman Heritage, and Topps rookie cards should only set you back a few bucks. There's also Topps Chrome and Pristine if you're shopping for luxury.

You look ahead to the 2025 baseball hall of fame ballot. There's Ichiro, and his dozens of rookie cards.

Carsten Charles has four from 1999 Topps products: Bowman, Bowman Chrome, Bowman's Best, and Finest. Two more late-season sets added Sabathia: Topps Traded and Topps Chrome Traded.  

Billy Wagner should get in, and he's got a handful of affordable RCs in 1994 sets.

Andruw Jones is a long shot, but you pick up his 1995 Bowman and/or Bowman's Best RCs just in case. 

And then there's Carlos Beltran. He was a few votes behind Jones on the 2024 ballot, but perhaps the BBWAA voters are through punishing him for banging those trash cans in Houston. If he doesn't get in this year, he'll likely headline the very thin class of 2026. You'll probably want to pick up his rookie card soon.

Not it.

This is a rare example of a Bowman first card not being a player's first card. Go back two years. 

Not it.

Technically this is Beltran's first card - but since it's a minor league prospect set it's not an official RC.

Topps whiffed on adding him to the 1995 Bowman set but they didn't forget him entirely. He's got one rookie card in the Traded set, and it's ... wait a sec...

Not it.

That's... not Carlos Beltran. It says Carlos Beltran right along the bottom there, but that ain't him.

Topps messed up. Big time. 

If you insist on purchasing a rookie card with Beltran pictured, you'll have to buy a LeBron:

It's practically unheard of in the modern era for a star player -- a surefire Hall of Fame player -- to have just one single rookie card. Carlos Beltran doesn't even have that; this is a Juan LeBron card.

If you're hoarding Hall of Famer RCs, which one do you buy? Both? Neither? 

There is... one more option. Beltran was somehow left out of 1995 Bowman but he technically appears in 1995 Bowman's Best. 

......

Not this Juan, either.

Thanks for reading!



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