After its inception as a baseball card brand in 1981 , Donruss produced a wonderful 1984 set that signaled the brand had found its lane. With gorgeous photography and a crisp design, Donruss added one more thing to set off the 1984 set-- Rated Rookies. No, the iconic two-line blue design had to wait another year, but Donruss denoted 20 rookie prospects as special with a single line of type.

Now, the big picture, there were some misses here. Neither Don Mattingly nor Darryl Strawberry was categorized as "Rated Rookies." But setting that aside, for a new subset, Donruss did... well, okay. Here's a quick rundown of the highs and lows of the initial crop of Rated Rookies (and what they sell for now).

Hit: #41 Joe Carter, Chicago Cubs

An iconic Rated Rookie of Joe Carter is still a bargain find. | CardLadder

A sunny day, the Wrigley Field bleachers, and one of the best right-handed power hitters of the 1980s and 1990s. No, Joe Carter isn't in the Hall of Fame.…