Favorite All-Time Baseball Card: Bill Ripken 89 Fleer
This is one in a series of posts that I am writing about my favorite things. What’s your favorite things? Tell me in the comments section or email me from the main page of the site.
I was 14 years old when I heard about the Bill Ripken error card. Was it real, was it an urban legend? Word on the street was there was a Bill Ripken card out there that had a vulgar word written on it. There was no Internet back then to “google” it. There was no EBay back then to purchase it. All you could do was try to find the card in your local card shop (no chance,) or try to find a picture of it in Beckett magazine (if you could find one.)
I opened many Fleer packs that summer, even got a couple Ken Griffey Jr. rookie cards…but no B Rip F&*k Face cards. None to be found at Pete’s Card Shop, none at Grandpaw’s Attic (the 2 card shops in my hometown in 89.) But, what would I do if I found one anyway? I could only look… at it’s height the card was going for $500 bucks.
I eventually purchased the card in 2006 for $7 dollars. It’s a mint condition card that I had Billy sign. Eventually, Fleer put out 12 different 1989 Bill Ripken cards, but 1 stood out the most. The mystery surrounding the card and how F&%k Face got on the handle was divulged in this interview with Bill. Yes, on the 20th anniversary of this card, it’s still the best out there. It’s the error card of all error cards. You can have your cards with pieces of uniforms, bats, and bases…give me F&*k Face.
Apologies to Cal’s rookie card, Eddie Murray’s rookie card, and all my signed Nick Markakis cards.
Cheers and Hail
