The first few years of the 21st Century have given us several athletes who rewrote all the rules about what rookie cards of current players could be worth. Michael Vick did it for football in 2001, and LeBron James did the same for basketball a few years later. In 2005-06, hockey cards felt the same impact with the arrival of Sidney Crosby.
Like James, Crosby entered his sport as a teenager with an unprecedented amount of hype. It only took one season to prove he was the real deal, racking up 102 points - becoming the youngest player ever to top 100 - during his freshman campaign. He wasn't afraid to get his nose dirty either, as his 110 penalty minutes showed he could stand up for himself.
Amazingly, Crosby didn't even take the Calder Trophy for top rookie thanks to fellow first-year sensation Alexander Ovechkin. But he was even better during his sophomore season, easily winning the NHL scoring title and leading the Pittsburgh Penguins to their best record in years.
For a league desperate for stars after missing the entire 2004-05 season, Crosby couldn't have come along at a better time. He's been just as good for the hobby, generating huge interest in hockey cards and getting new collectors involved. That means anyone trying to chase down all of his rookie cards has to have deep pockets - Crosby already has multiple rookies with four-digit book values.
The crown jewel is undoubtedly The Cup # 180, an autographed jersey card limited to just 99 copies. If you don't have several thousand dollars sitting around to buy one, don't despair. For now, he has several low-end issues, like his Parkhurst # 657, UD PowerPlay #133, Upper Deck MVP # 393 and Upper Deck Victory # 285, that can be had for less than $50.
Sidney Crosby 2005-06 Rookie Cards
- Beehive # 101
- Black Diamond # 193
- Hot Prospects # 276 - autographed jersey card #'d to 999
- Parkhurst # 657
- SP Authentic # 181 - autographed, #'d to 999
- SP Game Used # 101 - #'d to 999
- SPx # 191 - autographed jersey card #'d to 499
- The Cup # 180 - autographed jersey card #'d to 99
- UD Artifacts # 224 - #'d to 750
- UD PowerPlay # 133
- Ultimate Collection # 91 - autographed, #'d to 299
- Ultra # 251
- Upper Deck # 201
- Upper Deck Ice # 106 - #'d to 99
- Upper Deck MVP # 393
- Upper Deck Rookie Update # 276 - #'d to 199
- Upper Deck Trilogy # 211 - #'d to 999
- Upper Deck Victory # 285