1989 Donruss Baseball Card Value Guide
The 1989 Donruss baseball card set is considered by many collectors to be one of the most iconic and valuable baseball card issues of the late 1980s. While not quite as desirable or sought after as flagships like Topps or Fleer from the same year, 1989 Donruss holds a special place in the hearts of collectors due to its innovative and memorable card designs. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the top cards and players from the 1989 Donruss baseball set and explore what their mint condition trading values are today.
The 1989 Donruss set contains 792 total cards including variations. Some key things that make this set stand out includes amazing painted portraits of players on the fronts of cards, creative composite team photographs on many cards showing two or more players interacting, and dramatic action shots on others. The backs of the cards featured statistical and career highlights for each player.
One of the most iconic and valuable cards from the 1989 Donruss set is the base rookie card of power hitter Ken Griffey Jr. Card #1 in the set, Griffey’s rookie is one of the cleanest and most recognizable among all late 80s/early 90s issues. In pristine Near Mint-Mint (NM-MT) condition, Griffey Jr.’s 1989 Donruss rookie in on par with his Topps and Fleer equivalents, commanding $300-350 in auction. Higher graded PSA/BGS Mint examples can reach well into the thousands.
Other top rookie cards from 1989 Donruss include Gregg Olson (#420) at $50-75 NM-MT, Bobby Witt (#388) $60-85, Andy Benes (#363) $40-60, and Barry Larkin (#256) $60-80. Looking beyond rookies, one of the most valuable and aesthetically pleasing base cards in the set is Nolan Ryan’s action pose on card #300. In NM-MT condition this Ryan gem routinely brings in $100-150 due to his iconic status and the memorable image featured.
Moving into the star veterans of the set, big name Hall of Famers dominate as some of the most valuable 1989 Donruss cards. One of the undisputed kings isRyne Sandberg’s sweet card #101, which beautifully captures the second baseman at the plate. Sandberg’s sharp painted portrait combined with his popularity makes this a true star card, valued at $80-120 in top condition.
Ted Williams on card #1 and Ozzie Smith #384 also command high values as two of baseball’s greatest – Williams $75-100 and Smith $60-85 NM-MT. Other top Hall of Famer cards include Kirby Puckett #468 $60-80, Mike Schmidt #588 $50-75, and Nolan Ryan #300 which was already mentioned. More recent inductees like Rickey Henderson also retain strong interest – his #410 is valued around $50-70 in top grades due to his dynamic stolen base abilities perfectly encapsulated on the card image.
Branching away from the rookie and star veteran cards, some key insert and serially numbered parallel cards from 1989 Donruss hold substantial value as well. One is the much desired 1/1 parallel card featuring Bo Jackson wearing his Royals uniform on the front. This scarce serial #1 variation of Jackson’s base card #671 routinely brings $500-1000+ for the sole PSA/BGS-graded specimen.
Another key scarce parallel is the “Factory Sealed Wax Pack” parallel which features wrappers and designs mimicking old school wax packs right on the card front. Examples of stars like Griffey Jr., Sandberg, Strawberry raw between $150-250 due to their fun sealed pack tribute design and rarity within the estimated print run of only 50-100 examples issued.
While not the most iconic or valuable vintage baseball card set ever made, the 1989 Donruss issue stands out as a true gem of the late 1980s collecting landscape. With its amazing painted portraits, creative designs, and capturing of rookie stars and longtime fan favorites, the set remains an extremely collectible and nostalgia-inducing reminder of baseball card’s heyday. For savvy investors and collectors, key cards like the rookies of Griffey Jr., Olson, and Larkin as well as star veterans like Ryan, Sandberg and Schmidt represent blue chip long term holds with strong inherent value. The 1989 Donruss set exemplifies everything that made the vintage cardboard era so special and memorable for generations of collectors.
