Tiki Barber Memorabilia Buying Guide

By Sean J. O'Rourke

Tiki Barber is the all-time New York Giants' career leading rusher and without a doubt one of the greatest running backs of his generation. Barber played college football at the University of Virginia where as a running back he gained the second-most rushing yards in school history behind only Thomas Jones. Tiki's all-purpose yards from scrimmage place him second in school history behind Frank Quayle. With his UV achievement in tow Barber set his sights on the NFL and was drafted in the second round by the New York Giants in 1997. During his early years in the NFL, Barber was initially thought of as a 3rd-down or "change of pace" halfback but got the opportunity to carry the majority of the offense when then-starter Rodney Hampton was becoming inconsistent. Barber rushed for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career in 2000, establishing himself as a premier pro running back while leading the Giants all the way to Super Bowl, a game which they lost to the Baltimore Ravens. The 2004 season was one of Barber's brightest as he rushed for 15 touchdowns and made the NFC’s Pro Bowl for the first time. Most importantly, on January 2 2005, Barber broke both Joe Morris' single-season rushing record and Rodney Hampton's New York Giants franchise rushing record. In 2005 Barber had three games of 200 or more yards rushing which helped earn him a selection in his second consecutive Pro Bowl and a fourth-place finish in MVP voting. After announcing his plans to retire following the season, Barber went on to make 2006 one of his best. Barber rushed for 1,662 yards and five touchdowns earning him his third consecutive Pro Bowl trip. In the final regular season game of his career, Barber broke his own Giants' single-game rushing record when he ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns against the Washington Redskins. Barber's final game came in the playoffs weeks later when, despite rushing for 137 yards, the Giants lost to their NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. Barber retired and began working for NBC covering the NFL. He owns or shares 17 New York Giants franchise records including most touchdowns and most single-game yards. Most notably Barber is idolized as the New York Giants all-time leader in rushing yards.

Barber retired from pro football following the 2006, making him eligible Hall of Fame honors in 2011. Barber is one of the best running backs of his time and, with a number of franchise records to his credit, definitely has a resume worthy of Canton. The closer Barber comes to Hall induction the more the demand on his genuine memorabilia will grow. Giants fans and NFL enthusiasts will definitely want to add these items to their collection before 2011.

• TIKI BARBER AUTOGRAPHED HELMET: The key piece for any New York Giant fan's memorabilia collection. Tiki Barber spent all 10 seasons of his record-setting career with the Giants and this autographed helmet is a must-have for any sized collection. With Barber eligible for Hall of Fame induction in a few short years, this helmet makes a great addition a great investment.

• TIKI BARBER AUTOGRAPHED JERSEY: A great centerpiece for any Giants fan’s collection, this New York Giants jersey has been hand-signed by the franchise's all-time leading rusher Tiki Barber. Barber crossed the10,000-yard rushing mark in 2006 in a victory against the Carolina Panthers. Many sports experts consider 10,000 yards of career rushing an automatic entrance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Barber hand-signed this jersey and included the inscription "1997-2006 10,449 yds,” indicating his years of service to the New York Giants and his career rushing total which is one of Tiki's 17 franchise records.

• TIKI BARBER AUTOGRAPHED FOOTBALL: One of the NFL's all-time greatest all-purpose halfbacks, Tiki Barber retired in 2006, his tenth season with the New York Giants. Barber, who accumulated a franchise record 17,359 total yards from scrimmage in his illustrious career, hand-signed this Wilson Official NFL Football along with his signature uniform number “21.”  Barber, a three-time Pro Bowler has been forecast as a shoo-in inductee to the Pro Football Hall of Fame upon his first year of eligibility in 2011. This autographed football is a must-have for any NFL collector and an absolute essential for any New York Giant fan.

• TIKI BARBER/ELI MANNING DUAL SIGNED PHOTOGRAPH: This is a great addition to any-sized collection, a high-quality 16x20 photograph of New York Giants quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning handing off to future Hall of Famer Tiki Barber.  Given Barber's recent retirement the New York Giants' Super Bowl victory over the heavily favored New England Patriots, this is great memorabilia that will grow in value in recent years and hold value forever.

• AUTOGRAPHED TIKI BARBER COLLAGE: This 14x14 photo collage of future Hall of Famer Tiki Barber is a great addition to any collection as well as being a great starting point for a new collection. Tiki Barber's memorabilia is especially lucrative to add to a collection in the immediate future as the New York Giants all-time leading rusher walked away from the game, he steps towards a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Tiki's illustrious career ended at the end of the 2006 season when he chose to hang up the cleats and step into the broadcast both for the NFL on NBC.

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