The 1989 Topps baseball card set is one of the most iconic and valuable releases from the late 1980s. While it may lack the star power and immense collectability of sets from the 1952-1978 era, there are still several key cards from the ’89 Topps set that can fetch solid money from dedicated collectors and investors. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the top cards that have retained or grown substantially in value from the 1989 Topps release.
Undoubtedly, one of the most desirable and expensive cards to track down from the 1989 Topps set is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. As one of the greatest players of his generation and one of the most charismatic stars in baseball history, Griffey’s rookie card is a true Holy Grail for collectors. In pristine near-mint to mint condition, Griffey’s ’89 Topps rookie regularly sells in the $2,000-$3,000 range and occasionally above $4,000 for flawless specimens. Even well-centered excellent or very good conditioned copies can still bring in $400-$800 at auction. This places Griffey’s RC among the most valuable modern era cards and absolutely at the top of the ’89 Topps hierarchy in demand and secondary market value.
Besides the Griffey rookie, which is the undisputed big ticket card, there are some other noteworthy 1989 rookies and prospects that also carry premiums today. Greg Maddux, who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career as one of the greatest pitchers ever, has a very respectable rookie in the ’89 Topps set. High grade Maddux rookies currently sell in the $100-$300 range. Also of note is the Don Mattingly traded version card, which can eclipse $50-$100 in pristine condition due to its added rarity factor over the standard issue card. Ken Caminiti’s rookie, as well as cards featuring prospects like Jeffrey Leonard, Jeff Bagwell, and Barry Larkin could also pull in $25-$75+ based on grade and demand.
In terms of star veterans and all-time greats featured prominently in the ’89 Topps set, two particular cards stand well above the rest – the Nolan Ryan and Orel Hershiser cards. Ryan, already a living legend at this point of his career, has his 1989 Topps card escalate into the $50-$100 range for mint copies. Hershiser’s card carries a premium largely due to his record-setting 59 consecutive scoreless innings in 1988, leading to eye-catching investment potential for high grade examples in the $40-$75 range. Other strong vintage 1980s names that can still attain respectable prices include Gary Carter ($15-30), Ryne Sandberg ($10-25), Wade Boggs ($10-20), and Kirby Puckett ($8-15) depending on condition.
Rarity and error variants are additional avenues that can significantly increase the values of specific 1989 Topps cards beyond typical assigned grades and player/name recognition alone. One such example is the extremely rare Rod Beck rookie card, of which it’s believed fewer than 10 copies were ever produced with the “Rookie” banner missing on the front. Prices for this hugely scarce error variant have escalated into the mid-four figure range when one surfaces. Other notable printing plate variations in the set featuring Griffey, Sandberg, Carter, and Rickey Henderson can also eclipse the $100-200 range depending on the specific parallel.
While it may lack the true vintage appeal of 1960s-70s sets, the 1989 Topps release still offers collectors plentiful opportunities to find cards that have retained strong modern relevance and secondary prices appreciably above their original issue values. For investors or collectors patiently acquiring and holding onto well-preserved copies of the big star rookie cards, key veterans, and scarce variants over the decades, the ’89 Topps set continues demonstrating lasting value and collectability within the baseball card market. With names like Griffey, Maddux, Hershiser, Ryan and others destined to remain fan favorites and icons of the game for generations, their rookie and starring cards from this aesthetically pleasing 1980s Topps issue should stay firmly entrenched in the portfolios of dedicated card collectors and investors.
