according to the players: rookie, active duty, retired. As long as the cards have the "RC" logo on them, they are all rookie cards (individual cards have no RC logo, and early star cards have no RC logo).
The rookie card is the card issued by this player in the latest season, and it is also the most collectible of these three types, and the price of this card will also increase a lot. The price of active service and retirement is not necessarily, and there will be many factors.