The year 1989 saw some truly iconic rookie cards and rare inserts emerge from the hobby’s most popular card sets. While 1991 is considered the peak year for baseball card values, 1989 had no shortage of prospects that would go on to become future Hall of Famers. Two of the biggest rookie cards from 1989 continue to demand top dollar from serious collectors and investors.
Ken Griffey Jr.’s rookie card from Donruss is often cited as one of the greatest rookie cards of all time. Griffey lived up to the immense hype as one of the game’s most exciting five-tool talents and fan favorites. In pristine near-mint to mint condition, his 1989 Donruss rookie commands prices around $15,000-20,000 nowadays. Truly flawless mint copies in a gem mint 10 grade have reportedly sold for over $100,000 when they surface at auction. The rarity and iconic status of Junior’s rookie make it one of the most sought-after modern era cards.
Another sophomore year star burst onto the scene in 1989 – Frank Thomas of the Chicago White Sox. His rookie in 1988 was also noteworthy, but ‘The Big Hurt’ unleashed one of the best offensive seasons baseball has ever seen in 1989. His iconic minor league card from Score with a flexing Thomas gracing the front has resonated with collectors for decades. Higher grade examples in the PSA 9-10 range will set a buyer back $5,000-10,000 today. There are even rumors of mint condition PSA 10’s privately exchanging hands for over $25,000.
Two massive rookie year rosters make the 1989 Fleer and Score sets highly lucrative for hunters of stars. Fleer housed iconic rookies like Barry Larkin, Randy Johnson, Jeff Bagwell, and Moises Alou. An ultra-rare Fleer error variant mistakenly printed Kevin Maas’ photo on Jeff Bagwell’s card – only a handful are known to exist. In a PSA 10, expect to pay over $50,000 for one of the rarest printing mistakes in the modern era. Score also boasted rookies of future hall of famers like Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and John Smoltz that year.
Upper Deck burst onto the scene in 1989 with their innovative brand new design and focus on technology like holograms. The first ever National Baseball Card Day featured an exclusive card distributed through McDonalds Happy Meals of Gregg Jefferies – only 500,000 were printed, making pristine copies scarce. Other stars like Cal Ripken Jr, Cecil Fielder and Darryl Strawberry dot the checklist as well. The 1989 UD set in top shape can still sell for over $1,000 complete.
While base cards were plentiful in 1989, it was inserts and parallels that drove true rarity and value. The flagship Topps set stole headlines with “Studio” and “Photo Shop” inserts featuring innovative special effects on the likes of Nolan Ryan, Eric Davis and more. Only 10 of each were distributed. Then there’s the fabled “Turn Back The Clock” parallel that moved Bo Jackson, Cal Ripken Jr and other sluggers back a year. These parallels appear about once per case. In a PSA 10, each one could fetch upwards of $50,000.
Upper Deck took innovation to the max in 1989 with “Holograms”, futuristic foil treatments that added dimension to stars like Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire and Ozzie Smith. The “XRC Visions” parallel offered alternate artistic portraits. Plus, there was the extremely rare “Clear” parallel showing the raw cards underneath the plastic films – less than 10 of each are known. Each would undoubtedly sell for well over $100,000 in top grade. Score dipped their toes into inserts as well with “Photo Corners” spotlighting action shots.
While 1991 and beyond may contain bigger names, higher print runs mean condition sensitive 1989 gems still outpace their 90s counterparts in value many times over. The rookie class, influential inserts and error variants all contribute to 1989 being an epic year for investment-worthy cardboard almost three decades later. With such iconic rookies and innovative parallel designs, it’s easy to see why the hobby still fixates on the stars of 1989 to this day.
