PC Overview; Cal Ripken Jr

It's been over a month since I've written one of these PC overview posts when I wrote one for Roberto Clemente towards the middle of last month.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy these posts. Frankly, it's quite the opposite; the PC overview posts allow me to go more in-depth regarding some of my player collections. 

While a top 5 cards list only highlights a few select cards, PC overviews include cards and a ton of memorabilia that I otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity on the blog.

I started this series with a post dedicated to Reggie Jackson back at the beginning of May in an effort to have another continuous series for the blog. I realized that I needed something in addition to the top 5 cards post and frankenset pages, so I began analyzing some of my player collections at a closer level.

Today is the 3rd installment in this series, and I've selected a player who I've acquired some unusual memorabilia of over the years. I'm talking about the Iron Man himself, Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.

Just like Reggie Jackson and Roberto Clemente, the actual cards make up most of my Cal Ripken Jr player collection, followed by the various pieces of memorabilia. Out of the 3 players whom I've written PC overview posts for thus far, Ripken Jr has the most cards in his player collection at 166.

Those 166 cards span just 4 decades (the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s), all of which are represented above. Unlike the previous 2 players, Ripken Jr played at a high level throughout the entire 1990s decade. As a result, there are far more cards available of him than most other players that I collect. 

In fact, he has the 5th most cards out of any player in Baseball history in terms of what's listed on COMC, trailing only A-Rod, Ken Griffey Jr, Derek Jeter, and Albert Pujols.

Not included in the 166-card Cal Ripken Jr are some unconventional cards that I've chosen to display on my card collecting table instead of with the other Ripken cards in my collections. My reason for this is simple; these aren't traditional cards of the 19-time All-Star. 

The cards included in the box above are metal cards from a tin that my Dad and I purchased at a card show many years ago. You can see some other memorabilia which I will get to later, but for now, let's stick to the 10-card metal set that commemorates his achievement of 2,131 consecutive games played.

This isn't the only tin with metal cards in my collection as I have similar sets for Ken Griffey Jr, Roberto Clemente, and even Mickey Mantle. While the first 2 tins on that list were produced by the same company, Ripken's tin, and metal cards strongly resemble the 10-card Mantle tin aside from the actual player featured.

Both Mantle and Ripken's tins are produced by the same company and include 10 total cards and a large box as opposed to the 5 cards and smaller boxes for Clemente and Griffey Jr. I don't recall exactly what I paid for any of these collector's items, but I can't imagine it was anything outrageous.

I'm a sucker for the design of each of Ripken's 10 metal cards, for they all feature a vibrant orange and black border and Ripken's name embossed at the bottom of the card. Each card features a different picture and highlights from his career up until his 2,131st consecutive game which he achieved in 1995. 

While I could technically count these 10 exclusive cards as part of my actual Ripken Jr player collection, it's a no-brainer for me to leave them inside the tin. If I'm going to categorize a card as part of a PC, it better be with that PC physically before I add it to the inventory.

Like the 10 metal cards, I could also count this 23KT gold card in my Cal Ripken Jr player collection as well, but I prefer to display it with my other memorabilia of the 2-time AL MVP instead. Another Baseball card show pickup, this card features roughly 17 square inches of genuine gold and has some information about Ripken's streak of games played inscribed into the card.

The front of the card features a brief synopsis about Ripken's streak after he broke Gehrig's record and achieved the world record for consecutive games played at 2,216. 

Before he willingly ended his own streak, Ripken didn't just break the record of 2,130 straight games played, set by Lou Gehrig, he exceeded the mark to earn a world record which is commemorated with these intricate designs on the back of the card. 

Among the many details is a stamp, dated June 14th, 1996, honoring when he earned the world record.

Among the numerous unusual pieces of Cal Ripken memorabilia in my collection, the most unique one would have to be the Wheaties box above, complete with a full bag of cereal inside the sealed box.

While I likely should get around to throwing out the 20+-year-old cereal and keeping the box itself, my Dad and I, somehow, acquired this cereal box at the Baseball card show and never bothered to take the actual cereal out.

We simply placed the new memorabilia with the other Ripken items along our card collecting counter, and I never thought twice about it until I started writing today's post. 

The cereal inside may be a little odd, but the box design is a special piece of memorabilia that also commemorates his legendary streak.

As much as I cherish all the oddball pieces of memorabilia, I've definitely saved the highlight of my Ripken Jr player collection for last; this simple yet beautiful plaque, again honoring his 2,131st consecutive game, which was, you guessed it, acquired at the Baseball card show.

The plaque, complete with a picture and inscription, is hung directly above the other pieces of Ripken memorabilia. I love seeing all the various Ripken items near one another, especially when so many of them honor his 2,131st straight game.

Like all the oddball memorabilia that I've featured in this post, the picture above was an inexpensive Baseball card show pickup that contributes something unusual to my Baseball card collection. 

I don't own a lot of collector's items that I can hang on the wall, so I thoroughly appreciate the Ripken plaque in addition to all the other memorabilia that I own. 

After all, these items, along with the actual cards in the PC, help make the Cal Ripken Jr player collection what it is.