The 1989 Topps baseball card set was issued during the baseball season and marked Topps’ 37th year of producing baseball cards as the exclusive major league licensee. It was the final year of the exclusive five-year licensing agreement between Topps and Major League Baseball which had begun in 1985. The set includes photos of 792 different players on the front of the cards and stats and career summaries on the back.

Some key storylines and notable cards from the 1988 Topps set include:

Orel Hershiser’s Dominance: Dodgers right-hander Orel Hershiser was coming off an incredible 1988 season where he set a modern major league record with 59 consecutive scoreless innings pitched and won 23 games while leading Los Angeles to a World Series title. His dominant campaign earned him the NL Cy Young Award and he was featured prominently on the 1989 Topps cards, including an action photo card that highlighted his delivery to the plate.

Kirby Puckett’s Star Power: Puckett was well on his way to a Hall of Fame career by 1989 and was one of the league’s top stars on and off the field for the Twins. His 1985 Topps rookie card is one of the most iconic and valuable cards from the entire 1980s. The 1989 issue featured a card of Puckett at the plate that underscored his skills as a pure hitter.

Nolan Ryan’s Endurance: At age 42 in 1989, Ryan was still overpowering hitters as a member of the Texas Rangers. His age-defying talent to throw gas late into his 30s and early 40s made him a sports legend. His 1989 Topps card showed him mid-windup, a testament to his otherworldly arm even as his career neared its conclusion.

Continued Star Power of Wade Boggs, Roger Clemens, and Don Mattingly: These three superstars were not only producing huge numbers on the field but also anchoring the hobby as some of the most popular players to collect in the late 1980s card boom. Boggs, Clemens, and Mattingly all got prominent individual cards highlighting their skills in 1989 Topps.

Rookies and Prospects: The set included rookie cards or early career issue cards for future stars like Tom Glavine, David Justice, Chuck Knoblauch, and many others. It also featured prospects still developing in the minors like Barry Larkin, whose potential was hinted at in his minor league card issued in the set.

Design Evolution: The 1989 design continued Topps’ overall color scheme from past sets but toned down some of the outlined borders around photos from 1988. Statistics remained a strength on the backs alongside career highlights. Glossy stock helped the colorful images really pop.

Sets within the Set: As was customary at the time, Topps included special “Traded” and “Record Breakers” subsets highlighting players who were traded or accomplished milestones during the previous season. Nolan Ryan’s 300th career win was one record recognized in the latter category in 1989 Topps.

In terms of condition and rarity expectations for the flagship 792-card 1989 Topps baseball release, collectors can generally find:

Common cards (players without stars or hype): Usually available in EX-MT condition straight out of wax packs for under $1-2 each.

Star players (Boggs, Clemens, Puckett): Can be found NM-MT for $3-10 depending on the star level of the player. Higher grade copies of true “stars” will command $10-25 in pristine condition.

Rookies of eventual stars (Glavine, Larkin, Justice): Exciting prospects that can be found in NM for $5-15, grading a PSA/BGS 10 could raise the value significantly into the $50-100 range based on career achievements.

Short prints and parallels: The 1989 set had no official parallel issues but short prints exist of players like Cal Ripken Jr. Collecting 1987-1994 Topps baseball short prints is a niche side hobby within the set.

While not quite as valuable as flagship 1980s sets from 1987 and prior, 1989 Topps remains a highly collectible and affordable vintage release thanks to strong production levels. Orel Hershiser’s dominance, Kirby Puckett’s superstardom, and a deep rookie class helped make it an interesting snapshot of the late 80s MLB landscape. Combined with its affordable price point today, it remains an accessible set for collectors to pursue complete or star player collections from the peak of the baseball card boom era.