In addition to the items listed below, the winning bidder will receive a Zoom Session with Cal Ripken, Jr, plus two personalized autographed baseballs.
Goldin Auctions is proud to partner with Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. to present this very special item for a stand-alone auction and all to benefit a very worthy cause – The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation. Offered here is Cal’s 1997 Chevy Tahoe LT that was presented to him by the Baltimore Orioles in honor of his breaking Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record. This car has a black exterior and a tan leather interior and is in full working condition with 96,185 miles. Ripken has further personalized this automobile by signing the glove compartment on the passenger side in bold black marker. The truck is in excellent condition, with minor scratches on the rear driver’s side door and driver’s side back, slight cracking on the leather seats for the driver and passenger, stain marks on the panel below the glove compartment and a stain on the rear passenger side floor. The vehicle identification number is 1GNEK13R5VJ408552 and the CarFax report is posted on this lot. This comes with a personally signed LOA from Cal Ripken, Jr. Please note that the car is in good working order and this is being sold as a collectible and not a motor vehicle and that arrangements must be made for vehicle pickup located at Goldin Auctions headquarters in Runnemede, NJ.
In addition to the car, there is a special “swag” full of items in a Baltimore Orioles equipment bag that are full of game used and signed items from Cal’s career that are included, along with a $5,000.00 gift certificate to Goldin Auctions so you can get a head start on acquiring the many great items from Cal’s career in upcoming auctions. Items include a black Baltimore Orioles zipper-top equipment bag made by Starter Athletic. “Orioles” is printed on the long sides in orange with white borders, while the short sides have the Orioles bird logo in in orange, black and white. A white tag with “RIPKEN 8” is inside the see-through pouch on one of the sides above the “Orioles” word mark. There are two all-black Louisville Slugger P72 Cal Ripken, Jr. model bats that Ripken has signed on each barrel in silver marker. The bats display varying degrees of use. Each have pine tar on the handles and one of the bats is heavily taped on the barrel. Also included are a pair of game used Nike size 11 ½ black cleats with orange trim. “C.R.” is embroidered on the heels in orange and “8” is embroidered in orange on the black tongue flap. Each shoe has six metal spikes and these cleats show use with dirt on the soles. There is a black mesh New Era 59FIFTY Orioles cap with the Orioles' bird logo embroidered in the front in black, orange and white, and the MLB logo embroidered in Orioles' colors on the back. Cal's number "8" is handwritten in black marker on the inside crown of this size 7 3/8 hat.
There are three signed baseballs – one is an Official American League Bobby Brown stamped ball with Ripken signing on the sweet spot in blue pen and inscribing “1991 AL MVP”, an Official Ball 1993 All-Star Game (hosted by Baltimore) stamped ball signed by Ripken on the sweet spot in black pen and a 1995 All-Star Game logo Official Ball signed by Ripken in blue pen on the side panel with the 1995 All-Star Game logo. Next is a “Birdfeed Baltimore Orioles Favorite Recipes” book from 1986 with Cal’s “Besitos De Coco (Coconut Kisses) recipe on page 101. There are two Cal Ripken, Jr. rookie cards included – one is Fleer No. 176 card and the other is a Topps Baltimore Orioles Future Stars No. 21 card. Two pairs of white Franklin batting gloves with black trim, a signed “RIPKEN CAL ON CAL” hardcover book, numbered 1532 that includes a special cover. A 28 x 22-inch lithograph commemorating Ripken’s 2,131 streak. A full Wheaties cereal box with Rikpen’s image on the cover. A size large all-black Starter sweatshirt with “A RECORD FOR THE AGES” logo and a size 6-8 black kids T-shirt with an image of Ripken during a game on the left, his facsimile signature in white and “BALTIMORE ORIOLES”. The bag and its contents come with a personally signed LOA from Cal Ripken, Jr.
100% of the proceeds from the auction of the truck and its contents will be donated to the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and Goldin Auctions will be donating its buyer’s premium to the foundation as well.
The Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation helps to build character and teach critical life lessons to at-risk young people living in America’s most distressed communities. The Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2001 to honor the legend and spirit of Cal Ripken, Sr. “Everything we do maintains the values which Cal, Sr. embodied as a devoted coach and mentor: leadership, work ethic, personal responsibility, and healthy living. Through our transformational at-risk youth programs and Youth Development Parks, multipurpose parks, we create safe opportunities for youth in need to develop valuable life skills, build character, connect positively with local law enforcement, and learn how to make productive choices for their future. By partnering with youth-serving organizations and schools across the country, we provide educational life skills curriculum for adult mentors to use to better engage and teach the children we serve. Our dedicated corporate partners and generous donors support these opportunities to impact millions of young lives every year.”
To learn more about the Chevy Tahoe and 2,131 please read these articles:
Frederick News Post (MD) Article - September 5, 2020
Baltimore Sun Article - September 7, 1995