Cal Ripken, Jr. [Souvenir Glass]

The diameter is 2.75 inches and height is approximately 6 inches. One one side is an image of a youthful Cal Ripken Jr. with a facsimile signature below and at the bottom a banner that says Make Your Great Comeback in 1985. The other side has a large #8 above text that reads Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1984 Cal batted .304 with 27 home runs and 86 R.B.I.'s He also was in the top 20 in batting. Below that is Baltimore Orioles in order and the notation one in a series of six above the logo of the Major League Baseball Players. Sports memorabilia are collectables associated with sports, including equipment, trophies, sports cards, autographs, and photographs. A multi-billion-dollar industry has grown around the trading of sports memorabilia. In the sports memorabilia industry, there are two main focuses of collectors: autographed cards and tickets, and used clothing and equipment. Signed cards and tickets are preferred in pristine condition, while used uniforms are considered to be more desirable when they are unwashed, as stains from dirt, grass, blood, and sweat add value. Unique or odd items are also highly collectible, and items such as specialty drinking glasses, hair, floorboards, and chairs from stadiums have sold for large quantities of money. "Rookie" memorabilia, meaning items from an athlete's first year as a professional player, are valued by collectors. Rookie cards are often considered by collectors to be the most desirable kind of trading cards. Early items from a Hall of Famer's career are also highly desired and valued by collectors. Calvin Edwin Ripken Jr. (born August 24, 1960), nicknamed "the Iron Man", is an American former baseball shortstop and third baseman who played his entire 21-season career in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles (1981–2001). One of his position's most productive offensive players, Ripken compiled 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, and 1,695 runs batted in during his career, and he won two Gold Glove Awards for his defense. He was a 19-time All-Star and was twice named American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP), in 1983 and 1991. Ripken holds the record for consecutive games played (2,632), having surpassed Lou Gehrig's streak of 2,130 which had stood for 56 years and which many deemed was unbreakable. In 2007, he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility with 98.53% of votes, the sixth-highest election percentage ever to-date. Born in Maryland, Ripken grew up traveling around the United States as his father, Cal Sr., was a player and coach in the Orioles' organization. Ripken Jr. was drafted by the Orioles in the second round of the 1978 MLB draft. He reached the major leagues in 1981 as a shortstop but moved to third base in 1982, but the following year, he was shifted back to shortstop, his long-time position for Baltimore. That year, Ripken also won the AL Rookie of the Year Award and began his consecutive games played streak. In 1983, he won a World Series championship over the Philadelphia Phillies and his first AL MVP Award. One of Ripken's best years came in 1991 when he was named an All-Star, won the Home Run Derby, and was the recipient of his first All-Star Game MVP Award, his second AL MVP Award, and first Gold Glove Award. He broke the consecutive games played record on September 6, 1995, in his 2,131st consecutive game, which fans voted as the league's "most memorable moment" in the history of the game; Ripken voluntarily ended his 17-year streak at 2,632 games before the final home game of the 1998 season. He switched back to third base for the final five years of his career. In 2001, his final season, Ripken was named the All-Star Game MVP and was honored with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award. Ripken is considered one of the best shortstops in baseball history. At 6 ft 4 in, 225 lb, he pioneered the way for the success of taller, larger shortstops. He holds the record for most home runs hit as a shortstop, at 345, break.