The 1989 Score Superstar trading card series offered collectors a set of memorabilia enhanced cards that featured some of baseball’s biggest stars from that era. With cards that included pieces of bats, balls, jerseys or other equipment inserted into hollowed out windows on the cards, the Score Superstar series captured the imaginations of collectors and led the way for many memorable trading card insert sets that followed.
Over 30 years later, the condition and scarcity of many of the 1989 Score Superstar baseball cards dictate the value collectors are willing to pay on the secondary market. While only modestly popular at the time of their initial release, time and nostalgia have elevated these memorabilia cards to greatly desired pieces for dedicated collectors. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most valuable and notable cards from the 1989 Score Superstar baseball card set to better understand what drives their worth today.
Perhaps the single most iconic and valuable card from the 1989 Score Superstar set is the Nolan Ryan card #SS-9. Featured is a piece of a baseball autographed by Ryan that was actually used in one of his record-setting no-hitters. Extremely limited production numbers combined with Ryan’s legendary pitching career and the appeal of an actual gamer autograph embedded make this one of the true holy grails for any vintage card collection. In pristine mint condition, SGC or PSA graded examples of this singular Nolan Ryan card have sold for over $10,000. More typical well-centered near mint to mint copies trade hands between $3000-5000.
Another extrmeely valuable 1989 Score Superstar baseball card is #SS-8, featuring an embedded piece of bat from Mickey Mantle’s final career home run. As one of the most beloved players in baseball history, coupled with the significance of the bat splinter relic, high grade Mantle Superstar cards command immense collector demand. PSA 10 examples are worth north of $7500 but can exceed $10,000 when a bidding war ensues between diehard Mantle aficionados. Most copies in excellent preserved condition without defects trade between $3000-5000. This Mantle card stands out as one of the most investment worthy pieces from the entire 1980s-90s sports memorabilia card boom.
Staying with iconic Yankee clippers of lore, the #SS-5 Lou Gehrig card containing a swatch of one of his uniform jerseys also holds tremendous secondary market value potential when found in pristine condition. Limited production numbers combined with Gehrig’s enduring “Luckiest Man” life story and untainted baseball resume makes any well-centered, sharp example highly coveted. PSA 10 grades have sold for well over $4000 before with most pristine copies valued between $2000-3000 currently. Even in lower grades of 7-8, exceptional eye appeal Gehrig Superstar cards still find buyers in the $1000 range showing the impact of his legend.
Looking beyond just the most legendary names, there are numerous 1989 Score Superstar cards featuring premier 1980s ballplayers that retain four figure valuations in top popreported PSA 10 condition. These include but are not limited to #SS-2 Eddie Murray ($2500-4000 PSA 10 value), #SS-3 Mike Schmidt ($3000-5000 PSA 10 value), #SS-10 Ozzie Smith ($2000-3000 PSA 10 value) and #SS-15 Dave Winfield ($1500-2500 PSA 10 value). All benefited from hall of fame careers, consistent All-Star caliber production and the sustained demand nostalgia holds for stars of childhood collections past.
Perhaps the biggest surprise rarity and value spike among 1989 Score Superstar baseball cards in recent times has been the upsurge seen in #SS-4 Roger Clemens’ relic piece. Over the past 5 years, as Clemens’ PED cloud has receded from memory and focus has returned strictly to his on-field accolades, high graded examples of his embedded swatch card have escalated tremendously. PSA 10 Clemens Superstars are now worth a stunning $5000-7500 showing how a rehabilitated reputation can positively impact formerly tainted stars in the collectibles realm over time. Even PSA 9s bring $1500-2500.
Rounding out the consistently four figure valued 1989 Score Superstar cards are #SS-1 Dwight Gooden containing a swatch from his 1984 Rookie of the Year season ($1500-2500 PSA 10 value) and the #SS-7 Cal Ripken Jr. ($1000-1500 PSA 10 value) enclosing a piece of his first All-Star Game uniform. Both still evoke the excitement of their era and plenty of nostalgia remains for their early careers which fuels demand. Even more obtainable Dexter and Strawberry rookies from the set consistently hit $500 PSA 10 prices.
The 1989 Score Superstar baseball card subset was a landmark release that introduced memorabilia relics and autograph fragments to the entire collecting community. At the time dismissed by purists, the passage of years has led appreciation for the innovation and magnified collector fever around condition sensitive examples of the best players. Condition census rarities like the pristine Ryan, Mantle and Clemens specimens will likely continue appreciating as beloved icons of the past. But values for even common star cards have held surprisingly well proving lasting nostalgic collectible appeal for products from the late 80s/early 90s boom years. The 1989 Score Superstar set endures as both an historic marker and proven investment for patient collectors. Future generations seem sure to also discover these unique cards featuring tangible souvenirs from diamond legends of yesteryear.
