When it comes to Cal Ripken Jr. collectibles, iron can lead to gold.
Rick Hubata, owner of The Dugoutzone in Ellicott City, has been selling Ripken memorabilia for the past 16 years and said the demand has never been higher.
“We?ve sold more [Ripken] stuff in the past two or three weeks than we?ve sold in the past two or three years,” Hubata said. “Ripken rivals anyone in this era as the most collectible guy.”
The soon-to-be Hall of Famer played 21 seasons for the Orioles before retiring in 2001.
“He endeared himself to fans across the country by staying after games and signing autographs during that streak year [1995],” Hubata said. “He?s liked everywhere.”
Ripken?s 1982 Topps Traded rookie card is listed at $150, while his regular Topps rookie card books for $60. The Donruss and Fleer cards from his first season are $45. However, cards featuring Ripken during hisdays with Triple-A Rochester are worth the most. A card with Ripken playing in a Red Wings uniform in 1981 was selling for $395 on eBay last week,
Hubata said the value of Ripken cards has remained mostly stagnant since 1995, six years before Ripken played his last game.
“There has been a drastic drop in the value of his cards,” said Mel Schafer, the owner of D&J Baseball Cards in Baltimore. “Once a player retires, his value in collectibles drops significantly.”
Cards featuring Ripken are still being produced in mass quantities. Upper Deck recently printed 15,000 boxes of the 45-card set commemorating his induction into the Hall of Fame. But Schafer said while the demand might be up, it has not affected price.
“It?s what the market dictates,” Schafer said. “There?s just too many cards. It?s not just Cal Ripken, it?s all players.”
As for Ripken?s autograph, Hubata believes it will continue to be valued much like Michael Jordan?s, Mickey Mantle?s and Joe DiMaggio?s.
“The legends of lore will always be in demand,” he said.
