Cal Ripken, Jr., 1992 American Sports Monthly

This is just another in a long line of Cal Ripken, Jr. oddball cards, but at the very least it's one of the more visually compelling. The border is actually blue foil, and is much brighter than it scans. It provides a nice complimentary color contrast with the Oriole-orange background. The picture is even pretty distinct, offering a profile portrait of the Iron Man in mid-career. You can see him gazing out at the field (presumably) with his icy blue-gray eyes. He still has his hair at this point, but it's already more salt than pepper. On the blue and white card back, the stat line for his MVP-winning 1991 season is printed, along with defensive statistics. I am also informed that this card is of a "limited edition" run of 16,000, which really stretches the concept of "limited". FYI, my card is number 4275. Truly one of a kind.