1982 handed Ripken collectors an embarrassment of rookies, and the Donruss #405 is one of the three that matter. Donruss had only just arrived — the company broke Topps's long monopoly in 1981 — so this sits among the very first Ripken cards from a brand that would go on to define a generation of collecting.

It pictures him young and rangy, a shortstop who didn't yet look like the man about to redraw the position. Set beside the scarce Topps Traded, the Donruss is the approachable rookie: widely printed, easy to find, and a clean way to own his rookie year without chasing the factory-set card.

The everyman's 1982 rookie — from the brand that had just shaken up the hobby.

Condition still sorts the gem copies from the rest, the way it does with anything from the early '80s; centering and sharp corners do most of the deciding. As a piece of his rookie-year trio, though, the Donruss earns its keep — the accessible cornerstone alongside the Traded and the Fleer.