As one of the most respected and popular baseball players of his generation, Cal Ripken Jr.’s impact on the sport and the baseball card hobby transcends generations.
Unsurprisingly, the Hall of Famer’s cards were among the most sought-after during his playing career, and they remain in demand and collectible today.
Here’s a look at the 10 best cards for any Ripken Jr. collector.
10 Great Ripken Jr. Cards
1982 Fleer Cal Ripken Jr. #176
Here’s one of the few Ripken rookie cards released in ’82—it’s arguably the most desirable card from the 1982 Fleer release.
It might not be the Cal Ripken Jr. rookie to have, but who’s going to say no to any first-year card for a Hall of Famer? It’s a true RC and widely collected.
The design’s nothing fancy, but it’s easily recognizable as a Fleer card from that era.
Highest grades are tough due to centering issues and print quality.
1996 Pinnacle Select Certified Mirror Gold Cal Ripken Jr. #53
This is one of the crown jewels from the ’90s parallel boom—the ‘96 Select Certified set offered one of the first rainbow chases, with five colored parallels.
The Mirror Gold parallel was the toughest, with only 30 copies (not serial numbered).
This was an ultra-tough pull, especially for its era; combine that with the shine and Ripken’s legacy, and you’ve got a grail-tier insert.
1982 Topps Orioles Future Stars Cal Ripken Jr. / Bob Bonner / Jeff Schneider #21
Another Ripken Jr. rookie, but on this one he’s sandwiched between fellow Orioles rookies Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider.
Given Bonner and Schneider’s underwhelming pro careers, it’s fair to say this card is all about the “Iron Man”.
A clean design, strong Topps heritage, and massive nostalgia factor help make it a must-have for any Cal Ripken Jr. collector.
1992 Donruss Elite The Signature Series Cal Ripken Jr.
The autographed Donruss Elite Signature Series card was very premium at the time it was released—it had 5,000 numbered copies, which today is a lot, but back in the early 90s with crazy print runs, the number printed felt microscopic.
It has the added significance of being Cal Ripken Jr.’s first certified autograph card.
These days it remains relatively rare compared to many of his other cards, and it’s popular among collectors.
1998 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Cal Ripken Jr. #200
You want rare and popular? This Precious Metal Gems card is numbered to only 50, and it almost never pops up now.
PMGs are among the most coveted parallels across all sports, and Ripken’s 1998 version has that explosive foil design collectors love. It’s loud, it’s rare, and it’s valuable.
He actually has a second PMG card from the ‘98 Metal Universe set—a parallel of his Hardball Galaxy card, which features an illustration artwork of Ripken Jr. It’s also numbered to 50, and just as cool.
1993 Topps Finest Refractor Cal Ripken Jr. #96
There’s probably no baseball parallel from the ‘90s that’s as iconic as the ‘93 Topps Finest Refractor—the set itself remains one of the most popular of the modern era.
Not only did the set introduce collectors to a chromium base card, but also the Refractor card, which obviously remains a popular staple in the hobby today.
Ripken’s Refractor is one of the key cards from the set, and it’s tough to find today, especially in top condition.
1998 Skybox E-X2001 Essential Credentials Now Cal Ripken Jr. #9
The ‘98 Skybox Essential Credentials parallels had a unique concept—there’s a ‘Now’ parallel and a ‘Future’ parallel, and the print run for both was different for every player on the checklist, depending on their number in the set.
Cal Ripken Jr. has 92 numbered copies of the Essential Credentials Future card, but only 9 numbered copies of this Essential Credentials Now card.
It’s one of his rarest cards of the 90s—combine that with the popularity of it, and you have one of his most valuable baseball cards of all time.
1998 Fleer Ultra Masterpiece Cal Ripken Jr. #143P
Here’s the rarest card on this list—it’s the 1-of-1 ‘98 Ultra Masterpiece parallel card. Who didn’t dream of pulling one of these?
Unique 1-of-1 cards might be a staple of the hobby that we’re used to seeing today, but back when this came out, it was very much an exciting novelty concept.
The 1998 Ultra set introduced the prestigious parallel to the diamond, and given his status, Cal Ripken Jr. appeared 4 times in the selection of 451 cards, so he has 4 separate 1/1 Masterpiece cards—all are valuable and desirable, but this one appears first in the checklist, so it’s the one that makes this list for being slightly more significant.
1980 Charlotte O's Police Cal Ripken Jr.
Coming two years before his official rookie cards, Ripken popped up in this regional minor league issue—given out by local police departments.
It’s one of the most coveted minor league issues of all time, featuring him in a Charlotte O’s uniform.
It was rare at the time, and considering it’s also so prone to damage, it’s very tough to find today. If one pops up, it commands a high value, making it one of his most valuable cards ever.
1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr. #98T
This rookie year Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr. is the card to own—it’s far more valuable and desirable to collectors than his flagship Topps card from earlier in the year.
Why? Because it features him by himself, with his iconic pose, and it’s much rarer.
The ‘82 Topps Traded issue was distributed as a box set through hobby dealers and was Topps’ way of introducing players who had been traded during the regular season or called up from the Minors.
For any Cal Ripken Jr. collector, if budget allows, this one is an absolute must-have.
BONUS: Modern Autograph / Patch Cards
Ripken has an array of ultra-modern autograph and memorabilia patch cards from high-end sets like Topps Dynasty or Panini Flawless, for example, which are often low-numbered and very valuable.
While I’m not listing a specific option, many have a case for being among Cal Ripken Jr.’s best ever cards, so I had to give them a mention.
One Comment
If you want to feature some of the best ripken cards, I have a bunch of those early 1/1s and almost all of Ripken’s most significant cards from the 1996-2005 time frame.