By Michael Moore, PWTorch Collectibles specialist

In Brief: Collectors are spending big money on Ryback items, even though most of them show him as Skip Sheffield.




Ever since he was inserted into the WWE Title picture with C.M. Punk two weeks ago, interest in Ryback's collectibles has skyrocketed. A sudden surge in popularity, coupled with a small supply of action figures and trading cards, has made the former Skip Sheffield a hot commodity.

If Ryback continues on his current path, Mattel will likely produce a plethora of basic and Elite-style action figures. But, to date, Ryback’s only action figure was released in the 11th series of basic figures in 2011. He’s actually packaged as Skip Sheffield, but collectors don’t seem to care. Loose figures are regularly selling in the $20-30 range, with packaged figures selling for $30-40. The Sheffield figure wasn’t very popular upon its initial release, so it sat on shelves for quite some time. It is possible that you may still be able to find one at your local Toys R Us, especially if you live in a smaller market.




The Sheffield toy seems like a prime piece for makers of custom action figures, but so far very few have surfaced. The most common customization sold on eBay is simply a Sheffield toy in a blue singlet that was originally packaged with an Elite Big Show toy.

Ryback has been included in a handful of trading card sets dating back to 2010. His first card was included in the 2010 Topps WWE set, which shows him in full cowboy gear from his pre-Nexus days as rookie Skip Sheffield on NXT. Some collectors have designated this as Ryback’s Rookie Card, although that is a term that isn’t often used with wrestling cards.




The base card usually sells for under $5, and there are a few scarce parallels as well. A gold version of the card is serial numbered to 50, but few have surfaced recently. The only one currently offered for sale on eBay is listed for $79.99 or best offer.

The highest sale of a Sheffield card so far was for a blue parallel version of the card professionally graded by Beckett Grading Services (BGS), which gave it a grade of BGS 9.5, indicating that the card is in gem mint condition. The population report for this card shows that only one has been graded a 9.5. This particular card sold for $70.

Sheffield is also included in 2010 WWE Slam Attax Mayhem, 2010 WWE Platinum, and 2011 WWE Power Chipz, all produced by Topps.

The first actual Ryback card is included in 2012 Topps WWE, which was just released a few weeks ago. The base card isn’t selling for very much, but there are a variety of parallels, including a sparkly gold card and blue and red foil cards from Walmart and Target, respectively. The biggest sellers are bound to be the platinum version of the card and the four press plates used to make the card, all of which are serial numbered 1/1.

Topps has not produced a Ryback signature card, so there are no certified autographs currently available. Several sellers are offering signed 8x10s and candid photos, but without a certificate of authenticity from WWE or Topps, collectors aren’t likely to spend much.

Over the last couple of weeks, the “Goldberg” taunts have been replaced by loud “feed me more” chants. If Ryback’s program with Punk continues, the value of his action figure and cards will likely continue to rise, at least until more current products are produced.

Pro Wrestling Torch Collectibles specialist Michael Moore can be reached at michaelmoorewriter@gmail.com .

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