Before the Rookie
Resources
The references behind Before the Rookie and the site's vintage basketball research: checklists, population and auction records, and historical sources. They're kept public so you can check our work, and do your own.
How we research
- The card. Verify it against the set checklists.
- The market. Check its population and auction history.
- The career. Confirm it against Hall of Fame biographies and the statistical record.
Checklists, Populations & Prices
- VintageBasketball.comSpecialist documentation of vintage basketball sets and issues.vintagebasketball.com
- TCDBTrading Card Database — set checklists and per-player card catalogues, the research backbone of the Before the Rookie series.tcdb.com
- PSAPopulation reports, auction prices realized, and certificate verification for graded cards.psacard.com
- Card LadderMarket values, sales history, and collection tracking for graded cards.cardladder.com
- Cardboard ConnectionSet guides and checklists for vintage and modern issues.cardboardconnection.com
- COMCMarketplace and card catalogue used to corroborate checklists and find scans the big databases miss.comc.com
- BeckettChecklists, set dating, and price-guide data for vintage and modern issues.beckett.com
- SGCGrading and population evidence used alongside PSA for vintage issues.sgcgrading.com
- CGCGrading records checked for scarce vintage issues and test sets.cgcgrading.com
- HOF BB PlayersOne page per Hall of Famer with a card shown for each player; a useful cross-check on early and obscure issues.hofbbplayers.com
Auction Records
- Heritage AuctionsAuction results for vintage basketball cards, photographs, and memorabilia.ha.com
- SCP AuctionsAuction results and provenance records for landmark basketball sales.scpauctions.com
- REARobert Edward Auctions: auction archives for vintage cards and photographs, and provenance on landmark sales.robertedwardauctions.com
- LelandsAuction results and provenance for vintage basketball cards and memorabilia.lelands.com
- Memory LaneAuction results for vintage basketball cards and memorabilia.memorylaneinc.com
- Huggins & ScottAuction results for vintage cards, sets, and uncut sheets.hugginsandscott.com
- Fanatics CollectAuction and marketplace sales records for graded vintage cards.fanaticscollect.com
History & Biography
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of FameInductee biographies and class histories — the backbone of the Before the Rookie series.hoophall.com
- Basketball-ReferencePlayer statistics and season records, used to verify every career claim.basketball-reference.com
- Retro BaloncestoCataloguing of early and international basketball cards and postcards, including issues the big databases miss.retrobaloncesto.com
- Black Fives FoundationArchive and research on the early Black basketball era, the Rens, and the Pioneer inductees.blackfives.org
- OlympediaOlympic rosters, results, and athlete records for the international and Olympic-era players.olympedia.org
- Pro Basketball EncyclopediaCareer records for pre-NBA professional players.probasketballencyclopedia.com
- APBRAssociation for Professional Basketball Research: early professional and World Professional Tournament history.apbr.org
- EBSCO Research StartersBiography chronologies used to cross-check Hall of Fame player histories.ebsco.com