2013 BA Benny Bonanza part 2: the Ripken way

Previously:  Part 1 (complete sets)

Yesterday I showed off a bunch of sets Mike sent me, but today I'm getting much more specific because he sent an extremely generous stack of Ripkens, including a couple eye-poppers:

There was a great mix of base and inserts, low-end and high-end.  And perhaps nothing he sent was as high-end as that guy tucked down into the bottom-left corner--your eyes don't deceive you, that's a '93 Finest All-Star of the Iron Man, and I'll just say that those don't come cheap these days.  Besides that, there's plenty more to like here, especially the Turkey Red insert and a numbered Tier One base.

I didn't just throw all the best stuff into the first scan though--check out the goods here!  Plenty of nice inserts and even a couple samples.  A double of the EMotion card was included if any Cal fans would like it in a future package.  The Total Bases insert is great and is numbered to 5000, but my favorite in this bunch is the outstanding Elite Back to the Future card, featuring a HOFer on the front and this future star on the back:

Recognize that guy, Jeff?   I like this comparison despite the fact that the guys ended up playing different positions and were different types of hitters.  Despite those factors, both are fan- and team-favorite winners who brought a lot to their respective teams, and I hope Konerko doesn't get passed up for serious Hall consideration due to his quiet, steady production.

Here's a few more nice pickups:  a trio of horizontal inserts, a mini-ish Topps and a true mini from 2001 Private Stock (you know, from before Topps swiped the idea and went all Apple on us).

Finally, there were these.  The first is one of a pair, so again, if a Ripken collector would like one, please let me know.  It's a "23 Karat Gold" card that I'm probably going to send to Glenn Beck, and it celebrates his most famous accomplishment:  the Streak.  I don't know anything about "WCG," but this is a fun oddball addition to my Cal collection that I never would have known about if not for this trade.  The other is a goofy case with Rip's name on it, filled with a 1990 Topps card.  This is the perfect way for me to display one of my better Cals, so I'll take advantage of it soon!

There are plenty more Ripkens that were in this package that I didn't show off because they're junk wax or I already have them or I'm just plain lazy, but in Mike sent me something like 60 different Cals, which is 100% awesome.

Thanks again for the trade, Mike!  I'll be back very soon with part three, whenever I decide what that might be.