Cal Ripken Jr., the legendary iron man of baseball, wore this batting helmet during the 1995 season. Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s previous record for consecutive games played during the 1995 campaign, starting his 2,131st consecutive game on September 6th. Ripken made his 13th consecutive All-Star appearance in 1995, finishing the season with 17 home runs and 88 RBI. Due to the player’s strike the year before the 1995 season was shortened to 144 games, of which Ripken started every one.

After the 1994 strike trust in baseball was at a nadir unfamiliar to all who had not lived through the Black Sox scandal of 1919, but Ripken’s heroic performance to break the record of one of the most beloved players in baseball history went a long way to restoring the fan’s love of the game. Ripken’s incredible games played streak lasted another three seasons, before the Hall of Famer voluntarily sat out the final home game of the 1998 season. In 2007, Ripken was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame alongside fellow baseball legend Tony Gwynn. Ripken received a staggering 98.5% of the vote, on his first ballot.

This right handed batting helmet is made of black high impact plastic, with foam padding and a synthetic leather band wrapping around the crown. The date dial above the head pad indicates that the helmet was manufactured in June of 1994. The Orioles logo is present on the front of the helmet, while Ripken’s since retired number “8” is stickered on the brim of the helmet. The American Baseball Cap company logo and a MLB logo are located on the back of the helmet. Ripken signed the brim of this size 7 3/8 helmet in silver fine-tipped marker. This helmet comes with a LOA from JT Sports for game use and a LOA from JSA for the signature.

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