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Best Cal Ripken Jr. rookie cards

Key rookie card: 1982 Donruss #405. 4 rookie cards, every one below.

Updated October 22, 2026

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His top 5 cards

Full checklist

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Know before you buy

Which Cal Ripken Jr. card is the real rookie card?

Cal Ripken Jr.'s key rookie card is the 1982 Donruss #405. Cal Ripken Jr. was a 2nd round, 48th overall pick in the 1978 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. The checklist below lists 4 rookie cards by card number, each row from a cited source.

He debuted in August 1981 and won Rookie of the Year in 1982, the year of his four rookie cards: 1982 Donruss #405, 1982 Fleer #176, 1982 Topps #21 and 1982 Topps Traded #98T. The Topps #21 is a shared Orioles Future Stars card with Bob Bonner and Jeff Schneider, and the Topps Traded came only in a boxed factory set, so some collectors hold it to a different standard. The licensed field is left null because no fetched source states the licensing terms.

Sources: Wikipedia, Old Sports Cards.

Cal Ripken Jr.'s career, in brief

  • Played 21 seasons, 1981 to 2001, all with the Baltimore Orioles.
  • Played 2,632 consecutive games, the MLB record.
  • Won the 1982 AL Rookie of the Year and AL MVP awards in 1983 and 1991; finished with 3,184 hits and 431 home runs.
  • Elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007, his first year of eligibility, with 98.53 percent of the vote.

Career facts: [1]

His top 5, card by card

Full checklist: 4 rookie cards, 37 total

4 rookie cards and 33 other cards with card numbers, each from the checklist linked on its row. A row marked "one source" is printed by one checklist site only. Parallels are counted, not listed.

Show all 37 cards

Checklist sources, checked 2026-10-17: Old Sports Cards, Checklist Insider, Checklist Center.

Graded: PSA 10, BGS and CGC explained

A PSA 10 (Gem Mint) or BGS 9.5 is the top grade most collectors look for: sharp corners, clean edges, centered printing and an unmarked surface. A graded card and a raw one are different cards to look up. How the four graders compare and what PSA grading costs.

  • All four 1982 rookies: centering is the common problem (source: oldsportscards.com).
  • 1982 Topps #21: print marks and bubbles in the card stock are common (source: oldsportscards.com).

How PSA, CGC and Beckett grade

PSA

Top grades:
Gem Mint 10, then Mint 9 and NM-MT 8.
Half grades:
1.5 through 8.5 since February 2008; there is no PSA 9.5.

One overall grade on the label. Centering weighs heavily in it.

Source: Sports Collectors Digest on PSA's half grades

CGC

Top grades:
Pristine 10 (virtually flawless, 50/50 centering), then Gem Mint 10 and Mint+ 9.5.
Half grades:
Yes, from Fair 1.5 up to Mint+ 9.5.

Authentic (AU) for a genuine card that cannot take a number; Authentic Altered (AA) for one that was altered.

Source: CGC grading scale

Beckett (BGS)

Top grades:
Pristine 10; a Black Label Pristine 10 has a 10 in all four subgrades.
Half grades:
Yes, 1 to 10 in half points.

Four subgrades on the label: centering, corners, edges and surface.

Source: Beckett grading

Grading scales as each grader describes them, checked Oct 16, 2026.

Listing counts and lookups this week

Cal Ripken Jr. market data

Counts and lookups, not prices over time
Listed on eBay right now
His key card...Lowest ask, key card...All his cards...eBay listings now. Never stored.
Collector attention
5,067 lookups this week, down 3% on the week before30 daysWikipedia lookups, week to Oct 21
His checklist
37 cards: 4 RCs, 13 autos, 3 numbered /99 or lowerParlae checklist, every sourced card

Collector attention

Collector attention: down 3% this week, down 38% over 30 days

Cal Ripken Jr. card questions (6)

What is Cal Ripken Jr.'s rookie card?

Cal Ripken Jr.'s first base rookie card is the 1982 Donruss #405. Cal Ripken Jr.'s rookie season was 1982.

What year is Cal Ripken Jr.'s rookie card?

Cal Ripken Jr.'s rookie season was 1982, so the rookie cards carry that year.

How many rookie cards does Cal Ripken Jr. have?

Our checklist lists 4 Cal Ripken Jr. rookie cards with card numbers, each from a cited source. It is not every parallel or color variation.

How much is a Cal Ripken Jr. rookie card worth?

Parlae does not print card values. Find the year, set, card number, parallel and grade on your card, then check eBay sold listings or eBay's price guide for that exact card.
Cheapest on eBay now

Are collectors watching Cal Ripken Jr. right now?

Collector attention is flat: Wikipedia lookups of Cal Ripken Jr. are down 3% this week. That is attention, not a price.

Does Cal Ripken Jr. have a PSA 10?

PSA's population report says how many PSA 10s exist of each card; Parlae does not reprint it. To see PSA 10 copies listed now, tap the PSA 10 chip at the top of this page.

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Card facts checked 2026-10-17. Parlae prints no card values. Set and brand names belong to their makers; Parlae is not affiliated with them.

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By the Parlae deskCard data updated Oct 22, 2026 at 7:22 AM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number