The 1989 baseball card season saw the emergence of several young superstar players who would go on to have Hall of Fame careers. Cards featuring these rookie stars like Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, and Barry Larkin exploded in popularity and demand in the late 80s and early 90s. While many 1989 cards hold strong nostalgic value for fans of that era, certain rare and notable cards from sets like Topps, Donruss, Fleer and Score have increased tremendously in value since their release over 30 years ago. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most expensive and desired 1989 baseball cards today based on sales data and population reports.
Leading the way is the Griffey Jr. rookie card from Upper Deck, widely considered one of the most iconic and valuable modern-era baseball cards ever made. Only 330,000 copies of this card were printed, making it one of the scarcest Griffey rookies from his stellar career. High grades of this card in PSA 10 or BGS Black Label 10 condition have sold for over $100,000 in recent years. Even well-centered PSA 9 copies can fetch $10,000+. The reason this card exploded in demand is due to Griffey’s electrifying rookie season and the classic photo Upper Deck used, combined with the relatively low original print run heightening its scarcity value over time.
Another extremely valuable 1989 rookie is the Greg Maddux Pinnacle card, which has also achieved record prices lately. In a PSA 10 gem mint state, a Maddux Pinnacle rookie sold for $86,750 in 2020. Like Griffey, Maddux went on to win multiple Cy Young Awards and have a Hall of Fame career. But the Pinnacle brand was also much more scarce in the late 80s vs the more common Topps and Donruss sets. This card truly captures the excitement of Maddux’s breakout debut season with the Cubs.
The 1989 Topps Traded Barry Larkin rookie card is considered one of the key rookie cards for “The Nique” and consistently trades in the $2,000-$4,000 range for high-grade PSA 9-10 copies. Larkin was a superstar shortstop who won the 1995 NL MVP award. High pop reports and strong interest from Reds collectors have sustained strong prices for this card recognized as one of Larkin’s best rookie appearances.
Of course, no discussion of valuable 1989 cards is complete without mentioning the Sammy Sosa rookie from Score, which has climbed well over $1,000 even in lower grades due to his 608 career home run milestone. Sosa’s immense popularity in the late 90s home run chase has lasted for collectors.
Another offensive power hitter whose ‘89 rookie continues to hold value is the Mark McGwire score card. Big Mac blasted 49 home runs in his rookie 1987 season and 149 in 1998, so collectors hold onto his early cards. PSA 9 copies can reach $900-$1,200 range.
Switching gears to pitchers, Orel Hershiser had an incredible 1988 season capping off with a record 59 consecutive scoreless innings in the World Series. His 1989 Topps & Bowman rookie cards were highly sought after when released. Despite high print runs, graded gems in PSA 10 can sell for $500-$700 each due to his standout accomplishments.
Some dark horse valuable cards from 1989 include the Nolan Ryan Upper Deck card, which though not a rookie, features one of the game’s most legendary flamethrowers in classic Astros gear. Pop 2 PSA 10s command over $1,000. Also, stars like Jose Canseco, Randy Johnson and Ken Caminiti who experienced breakouts in the late 80s have their rookies steadily achieve $100-300 prices.
While print runs on the whole were much higher in the late 80s/early 90s ‘junk wax’ era vs today, cards featuring rookie seasons of all-time greats Griffey, Maddux, Larkin, McGwire and Sosa who went on to have Hall of Fame careers remain the most in-demand and valuable from the 1989 season. But ungraded copies in good condition of their rookies could still be worth $50-100 raw to the right collector even after 30+ years. The ‘89 season heralded the arrivals of so many future legends who created magical baseball memories that continue to resonate with fans to this day.
