Photo Op with Randy Arozarena and His CSG-certified Rookie Card

The rookie card has become one of the most desirable types of sports cards to collect. So how exciting is it to see a rookie jersey auto card being held by the player himself?

Certified Sports Guaranty® (CSG®) had a blast at the inaugural Tampa Collectors Con, which was held December 10-12. Collectors were able to submit cards for on-site grading, talk to the CSG reps about card certification services and pick up some cool CSG swag.

Also in attendance was American League Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena, who took a few moments to pose with this 2020 Panini Chronicles Spectra Rookie Jersey Autographs #128, featuring himself, graded CSG Gem Mint 9.5, with sub-grades of 9.5 for Centering, Edges and Surface, and 9 for Corners.

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Arozarena received 22 first place votes for 2021 Rookie of the Year, nearly double the number received by the next candidate. After signing with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2019, he was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in early 2020. He batted .274 on the season, with a .356 on-base percentage and scored 94 runs.

Jersey sports cards are a fairly recent addition to the hobby, first introduced by Upper Deck in 1996. These cards feature a small swatch of jersey that is cut and then placed inside the card, with the front of the card sealed over the top of it. Patch cards are a specific type of jersey card that feature a tag, logo or recognizable portion of a player’s uniform.

CSG Senior Grading Finalizer Andy Broome was also at the Tampa Collectors Con to chat with attendees and answer questions. “It’s great to meet the collectors who are so passionate about the hobby and who make what we do at CSG special,” said Broome. “And, of course, it was awesome to see Randy Arozarena with his CSG-certified rookie card.”