The 1989 Topps baseball card set had been eagerly awaited by collectors and fans alike during the fall and winter of 1988-1989. Coming off the spectacle and success of the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea and with Major League Baseball seemingly as popular as ever, the 1989 Topps cards were primed to be a huge commercial success and remain classics in the hobby for years to come.
Inside the somewhat worn but sealed wax box marked “792” sat 20Factory Sealed wax packs with the familiar red, white and blue Topps branding. Each wax pack contained 1979 cards including the all-important chase parallel “Traded” subset highlighting key player transactions from the previous off-season. While packs from the 1980s lacked modern conveniences like jersey cards or autographs, they more than made up for it with an affordable price point, great player photography and an excitement that could only be matched by peeling back the wrapper to see what new stars or future Hall of Famers a young collector may pull.
Box 792 had been purchased brand new on release day, January 1st, 1989 from a Meijer department store located in suburban Detroit for $29.99 plus tax. The young boy who bought the box, Nick, was an avid nine-year old Tigers fan living through the infamous “Bless You Boys” era. While stars like Alan Trammell, Lou Whitaker and Kirk Gibson flew their flag in the Motor City, Nick’s true love was collecting and playing with his baseball cards. After making his way through a few “Value Packs” of the new 1989 set in the coming weeks, Nick yearned to rip into a whole factory sealed box for a treasure trove of cards.
As he carefully peeled back the factory cellophane wrapping that first morning, Nick was immediately enthralled by the crisp, clean smell of the fresh wax packs. One by one, he removed each factory sealed wax pack from the box sleeve, surveying the roster checklist and commentary on the back. The excitement was palpable – would he pull a Trammell RC? Maybe even The Kid himself, Ken Griffey Jr? Only one way to find out.
Nick methodically worked his way through each pack, savoring the moments of suspense between cards until he found his chase hits. Among the sea of common cards were bright spots like a Pudgy Jones (a favorite amongst collectors for its eccentric photography), a Mark McGwire and of course, the ever-present glossy manager/coach cards and puzzlers. The Traded subset would net him deals like Frank Viola moving from the Twins to the Mets and Tony Pena from the Royals to the Red Sox. Solid additions for any collector, but nothing to jump up and down about just yet.
As he neared the end of the box without any true superstar RCs or parallels in sight, young Nick’s enthusiasm began to wane. Most of the big name young stars like Barry Larkin, Dave Stewart or Jose Canseco had already been pulled in his prior wax packs. But on the 2nd to last pack of the box, something sparked his interest – the familiar red color of a Traded card peeking out from underneath. As he flipped it over, a jolt of electricity shot through his small frame – it was none other than Nolan Ryan, in his final season with the Astros before being traded to the Rangers. One of the most iconic and respected players in the game at the time.
Nick could barely contain his glee. He dashed to his baseball card binders to carefully sleeve the prized Ryan parallel card in its own protective penny sleeve. All those hours poring over stats in the Baseball Card Annual took on new meaning, as he now owned a piece of living baseball history in his collection. The positive experience from that unexpected hit carried him through to the conclusion of the box, where the last pack offered further thrills in the form of a Mark Grace RC and Scott Erickson RC.
Now 30 years later, that same ’89 Topps box #792 sits sealed and untouched within Nick’s extensive vintage card collection. While the individual packs and cards have long since lost theirfactory shine and stiffness, they retain their nostalgic powerin representing an era of Nick’s childhood development andhis introduction to this iconic hobby. Condition has always taken a backseat to sentimental valuefor this box.
In today’s hot vintage market,a sealed ’89 Topps boxin pristine conditioncould easily command well over $1000USDbased on recent auction prices and market trends. Its worth to Nick remainsunquantifiable. The excitementof randomlypulling stars, the bonding moments it provided with his dad looking through new additionsand thereminder of simpler timeswhen a nice card pull could makehis whole dayare priceless intangiblesmoney can’treplace.
Whether part of a museum-quality sealed collection or carefully stored away in anestate yet to be passed down, boxes like this onehelp keepsportscard history alive.Theytransport collectors back toanother place and time, ignitingthose samefeelings of childlike wonder and anticipation that firstsparked a lifelong passion.For collectors both young and old, thatmagicaloneis well worth preservingfor generations to come.
