Some stuff I love from the MIC:
Anklet of Translocation: cheap, 2/day teleport as a swift action. You're free from grapples 2/day, or you can get closer to your enemy for a charge or full attack.
Rod of Bodily Restoration: heal a ton of physical ability damage, on a charge/day basis. No party should be without.
Orb of Mental Renewal: Like the rod, but for mental abilities. Together, the orb and rod make a dirty joke, one every party needs (WAAAAY better than lesser restoration).
Horn of Plenty: 12,000 gp is steep, but if the entire party chips in, it can be had early. All-day immunity to poison and fear is pretty sexy, and the temporary hitpoints are just gravy.
Amulet of Fortune Prevailing: Cheaper than a mantle of second chances, and you almost always use the mantle on blown saving throws anyway.
Slightly more specialized stuff -
Gloves of the Starry Sky: 3/day convert a spell to a magic missile, even a divine one or if you've banned evocation, and it uses your caster level. Only thing you can't do is metamagic. Still, it's handy at every level, especially for the price.
Badge of Valor: Awesome for a bard. You cast inspirational boost and sing, then as an immediate action right after your turn, activate the badge. That's +2/+2 on your inspire courage right there. Pretty sexy.
Chronocharm of the Horizon Walker: Great if you don't have pounce. 1/day get in position to make a full attack. Not awesome, but cheap, especially if you use the magic item stacking rules.
Chronocharm of the Laughing Rogue: 1/day reroll a disable device roll. Excellent (that's the other reason people like rerolls).
Blindfold of True Darkness: Worth mentioning since it's so much better than all the other some-kind-of-blindsense items in the MIC. 9,000 for blindSIGHT, limited to only 30', but putting it on means you ignore concealment, invisibility, gaze attacks, etc. Most melee types should consider getting one.