Don Mattingly (1,000 @ $9.50)

While Mattingly has provoked debate as to whether he deserves "classic" status with career stats of 2,153 hits, 222 home runs, and a .307 batting average, there is little doubt that his popularity places him as one of the more collectible players from the 1980s and early 1990s. I recall being a graduate student in New York from 1987 through 1989, not particularly being a Yankee or Mattingly fan, but becoming converted by how much Mattingly dominated the games I saw at Yankees stadium with his offense and solid play in the field. During a surprisingly mediocre era in Yankees history, Mattingly was the thread maintaining Yankee pride. While a 1,000 print run does not guarantee that a baseball classic card will maintain or exceed the $9.50 IPO price (11 baseball classics with print runs less than 1,000 have recent 7-day averages less than $9.50), I expect that Mattingly will be prime for accumulation from collectors and will be sought after for autograph opportunities. I give this card a WEAK BUY at IPO recommendation.

Don Larsen World Series Perfection (1,000 @ $9.50)

October 8, 1956. Larsen’s career was lackluster... he had a career 81 win, 91 loss record with eight teams in fourteen seasons. But in game five of the 1956 World Series, he accomplished something that Cy Young, Walter Johnson, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Roger Clemens and all other pitchers can only dream about... pitching a perfect game in the World Series. After pitching poorly in game 2 of that series, Larsen was not sure if he would start game 5. Instead, Larsen retired 27 consecutive Brooklyn Dodgers, aided by several strong plays by the Yankee outfielders. This card is a superb addition to the classic events line... a truly memorable event in baseball history... but I expect to be able to pick it up cheaper on the secondary market. I recommend DO NOT buy this card at IPO.

Carlton Fisk All’s Fair at Fenway (1,000 @ $9.50)

October 21, 1975. Okay... before you read further, I need to admit that I was 9 years old in 1975 and absolutely worshipped the "Big Red Machine" of Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, Ken Griffey Sr., George Foster... (okay, I won’t name the whole team from memory). I watched the 1975 Series intently on TV, and while I respected the Red Sox, was thrilled by the 7-game Series that had so many dramatic moments it has been called one of the best World Series of all time. Four games were decided in the last inning... two in the ninth, one in the tenth, and one (game six) in the twelfth inning. Even as a devout Reds fan, I can acknowledge that Fisk’s game-winning home run in the twelfth inning of game 6, is a great baseball moment. But it has continued to irritate me to no end that the ONLY image of the 1975 World Series is Carlton Fisk attempting to wave his home run to the fair side of the foul pole. Many fans who do not remember the 1975 World Series probably think that this home run decided the series, but in fact it won the sixth game for the Red Sox, while the Reds won the deciding game seven. I find it surprising that this image has become so iconic despite a losing Series for the Red Sox. Most likely, its status is due to the Red Sox curse legend as, until 2004, Fisk’s game winning home was the closest the Red Sox had been to winning the World Series since 1918. So I’m not going to buy this card at IPO, but I predict many others will. (But if they had a card of George Foster a few minutes earlier catching a foul ball deep in left field and throwing out Denny Doyle at the plate, I would have bought a dozen cards.) Remember my 1975 Reds bias, and make up your own mind, but I recommend DO NOT buy this card at IPO.

Rickey Henderson Becomes MLB’s "Man of Steal" (1,000 @ $9.50)

May 1, 1991. While many people have written to the eTopps message boards questioning eTopps’ decision to add a new Ripken card and asking what the event card will do to the 2001 card’s value, my bigger concern is about the value of the 2002 Rickey Henderson with a new Henderson event card. The 2002 card has been a "steal" itself as the future hall-of-famer’s only eTopps card until this week has been less than $4.00 largely due to the 4,013 print run. This event card will commemorate the main aspect of Henderson’s career that will be remembered (besides his being a top lead-off hitter) and will have a quarter of the print run of the 2002 card. Thus, I would expect it would be this event card, not the 2002 card, that will be sought by collectors in 2009 when Rickey is first eligible for the hall of fame. This is the one card offered this week that may fall slightly short of selling out, but I expect it will not fall low enough in print run to hold IPO price in the short run. We can all hope that by 2009 eTopps will still be alive and have a larger following so that this card will be sought after when Henderson is elected to the hall of fame. I recommend DO NOT buy this card at IPO.

Cal Ripken Iron Man Plays in 2,131st Consecutive Game (1,000 @ $9.50)

September 6, 1995. Despite the controversy of eTopps issuing a second Ripken card when it had initially indicated that the 2001 card would be the only card issued of Ripken, I expect the 2001 card to remain almost as reliable in value as Ripken was in playing games. While Ripken was known for his steady consistent play, the 2001 Ripken card has remained stable at about $27 for more than the last two years. Considering the roller coaster increases and declines that eTopps indexes have gone through during the same period, the 2001 card’s steady price has been remarkable. My favorite CardTarget card comment has been the one by "Tommy61" that "if there was a $27.50 bill, this card would be it." If the 2001 Ripken could withstand the fluctuations of the market in the last two years, I am confident that it can withstand the challenge of an unexpected second Ripken card. And I believe that Ripken’s following among collectors is so strong that Ripken collectors will want BOTH the 2001 and 2005 Ripken cards. I expect a strong sell-out of this card, and while it may not surge immediately I would anticipate it would remain stable at IPO price or higher for the long term. I recommend BUY this card at IPO.