What are the best cards to build your rookie personal collection around? Which cards carry the best resale value and are most coveted by collectors?

There are hundreds if not thousands, of different rookie cards released every year for an individual player. Using Young Guns products that are found in Upper Deck flagship boxes as an example. Base, Canvas, Retro, Anniversary, Deluxe, Exclusives, High Gloss, Clear Cut, Clear Cut Exclusives, Silver Outburst, Red Outburst, Gold Outburst, and Acetate are all different variations of Young Guns that are available. 

Remember, all the different Young Guns listed above come from a single product. Upper Deck releases approximately 60 hockey products yearly when factoring in retail and hobby products.

A brief explanation of the difference between retail and hobby products can be found here. 

Now we can get into the six essential cards to build your collection around.

1. Young Guns

Young Guns are one of the most iconic cards in all of sports card collecting. As mentioned above, there are many different versions of Young Guns available. It does not matter which version you go with as long as you have at least one in your favorites player's collection.

2. High End Rookie Auto Patch

A high end rookie auto patch will most likely be the most expensive card of your collection. The best rookie auto patches are featured in products like The Cup and Premier. It just boils down to which rookie auto patch you like better and how much you are willing to spend.

3. Future Watch Auto from Upper Deck SP Authentic

A player's Future Watch Auto from Upper Deck SP Authentic is an essential part of your collection. Future Watch Autos are numbered to 999, but the first 100 off the line have the player's debut date inscribed on the card. 

If your budget allows, spend the extra money on the inscribed version. They fetch a nice premium should you decide to sell the card down the line.

4. Ice Premieres from Upper Deck Ice

The Ice Premieres rookie cards compliment a collection very nicely. Make sure to get the true version that is numbered to 99. Those will carry the largest resale value as they are the most coveted version among collectors.

5. Green PMG from Upper Deck Metal Universe

PMG cards from Upper Deck Metal Universe come in two forms, red and green. The Green PMG cards are the first 10 numbered cards out of 100 and the Red PMG cards are the remaining 90 cards. 

The Green PMG cards are extremely rare as only 10 exist per rookie card. They also carry amazing resale value.

6. Something Fun!

It is your collection, have fun with it! Upper Deck Black Diamond puts out some amazing patches in their products. The Cody Glass shield above is something that I put together years ago and sits comfortably in my personal collection.

Happy hunting and collecting!