Sales of Cal Ripken Jr. memorabilia were slow a few months ago.Then, as Ripken's induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fameapproached, the phone started ringing more and more at Robbie's FirstBase in Timonium. Sports fans wanted to know what cards, bats, balls,jerseys and other Ripken items the store had.
'Now that he's heading to the Hall of Fame, and it's close, we areselling a lot of stuff,' said store owner Robbie Davis Sr.
In some cases, the new interest has driven prices up. Anautographed ball from Ironclad Authentics sold for $100 a little morethan a month ago at Robbie's First Base. Then Ironclad, an arm ofRipken Baseball that produces authenticated, signed sportsmemorabilia, raised prices. The same ball sold for $175 last week.
The mementos carry a high price. With no new milestones inRipken's career, some collecting experts say the premium-priced goodsare unlikely to grow much in value in the future. Even worse forthose looking to invest beyond the thrill of owning a piece of thelegendary player, seasoned collectors warn prices could go down oncethe hoopla and media attention of this weekend's events fade away.
Search eBay for Cal-related memorabilia.
'The novices get into it, and they run the price up. Then they'llfall out, and the price will fall back down. That happens with allthe athletes,' Davis said.
The surge in interest couldn't have been better for theLutherville-Timonium Recreation Council. The little league organizerbought a signed Ironclad bat for $500 from Davis' store about onemonth ago. The group hoped to sell 500 raffle tickets at $2 a pieceto raise money for the league. Instead the group sold 1,000 tickets,according to Davis.
Six years after retirement, Ripken remains one of the most popularand most expensive players to collect.
To fans, he is the man whose consecutive game streak revivedgoodwill in the sport after a players' strike cancelled the 1994World Series. Baseball enthusiasts had fumed at the players, theowners and the stink of money in the sport.
Then came Ripken, with his dedication to baseball that saw himbreak Lou Gehrig's record by playing 2,632 games in a row. Fans,teammates, umpires and the opposing California Angels gave him a 22-minute standing ovation on Sept. 6, 1995, the night he broke Gehrig'smark by playing in his 2,131st consecutive game. Ripken lapped thestadium and shook hands with the Camden Yards fans, and ESPN neverwent to a commercial break during the entire ovation.
'It reminded people of the good things of the game, and I thinkthat is why he is so popular,' said Richard Hubata, who owns TheDugout Zone, a collectibles store in Ellicott City.
Ripken's popularity extends beyond the record. He earned manyawards, including American League Rookie of the Year in 1982 andAmerican League Most Valuable Player in 1983 and 1991, among others.His family-man image and willingness to spend hours after gamessigning autographs only endeared him more to fans.
'There is always someone who says, 'I've been trying to get yourautograph for 10 years,' and he just kind of chuckles and says, 'Youhaven't been trying too hard,'' said John Maroon, president ofMarriottsville-based Maroon PR. His firm handles public relations forRipken.
Collectors pay dearly for Ripken's superstar status, even comparedto other Hall of Famers. Ripken memorabilia, in general, sells atabout 10 times the price of equivalent Jim Palmer souvenirs,according to Brian Fleischer, price guide editor at Beckett Media LP.Palmer, a former Orioles pitcher, was elected to the Hall in 1990.
Ripken items fetch about five times the price of similar mementosfrom Brooks Robinson, the legendary Orioles third baseman and anotherHall of Famer. And they even sell at about three times the cost ofTony Gwynn collectibles. Gwynn is being inducted this weekend intothe Hall of Fame alongside Ripken.
Since 1980, more than 10,800 different types of Ripken baseballcards have been produced, according to collecting authority BeckettMedia.
'He has a ton of player collectors who go out and look for CalRipken cards,' Fleischer said. 'They don't care what it is. A lot ofthem will pay tons and tons of money on rare cards.'
On eBay last week, a 1982 Topps Traded rookie card in perfectcondition was selling for $935. There were 12 bids on the card, withtwo days left for bidding.
Not all Ripken cards or collectibles fetch hundreds of dollars. Afan could have bought lower-priced cards for less than $5 plusshipping on the same Web site. And a lot of the close to 3,000 Ripkenauctions on the popular trading site floated by without a bid.
Hall of Fame excitement hasn't inflated the price of every Ripkenmemento. Last week, The Dugout Zone sold a signed photo of Ripken'slast time at bat for $299. The item cost the same back in Januarybefore Ripken was elected to the Hall of Fame.
Conventional wisdom dictates that Ripken collectibles wouldincrease in value as he enters the Hall of Fame this weekend. Butcollecting experts say that event was priced into the cost of hiscards and memorabilia years ago.
'[Ripken] has been a Hall of Famer for years in the mind ofcollectors,' Fleischer said.
Hubata compared the static prices to stocks where the news thatpeople expect gets factored into their prices long before an eventhappens.
The card store owner said it would have taken something unexpectedto drive prices much higher, like Ripken possibly receiving thehighest number of votes ever during his election into the Hall ofFame in January.
But the long-anticipated news didn't dampen Hubata's enthusiasmfor this weekend's events. The Cubs fan calls Ripken one of hisfavorite players. He owns a signed bat, balls and an autographed gameticket from the night Ripken broke the streak. Hubata plans to visitCooperstown this weekend with three friends to witness history.
He says many of the fans visiting his store are going, too.
'Everyone that collects Ripken is going to Cooperstown,' he said.
