Ken Griffey Jr. had an illustrious MLB career spanning from 1989 to 2010 while playing for the Seattle Mariners, Cincinnati Reds, and Chicago White Sox. During his time in the majors, Griffey was one of the most popular players in baseball and featured prominently in many baseball card sets released during the late 1980s through the late 1990s when he was in his prime. Some of the cards from Griffey’s early career with the Mariners, in particular, have become quite rare and valuable over the years as Griffey mania was at its peak. Let’s take a closer look at some of the rarest and most valuable Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards from the hobby’s modern era.
1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr. RC: This is arguably the holy grail of all Griffey rookie cards as it was the first widely distributed card issued of his MLB career. Upper Deck produced their inaugural baseball card set in 1989 and made Griffey the very first card in the set, honoring his status as one of the game’s future young superstars. Unfortunately for collectors, the 1989 Upper Deck set had a much lower print run than other issues that year due to production problems. As a result, the Griffey rookie is extremely rare in high grade. In PSA 10 Gem Mint condition, examples have sold for well over $100,000 due to the combination of its iconic rookie card status and limited supply. Even lower graded copies in the PSA 8-9 range still fetch five figures.
1990 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr.: Following the success and scarcity of the ’89 rookie, Upper Deck again led off their 1990 set with another prized Griffey card. The rarity factor was not quite as high for this one since Upper Deck greatly increased print quantities after sorting out manufacturing issues. The ’90 Upper Deck Griffey is still a highly valuable card for collectors, though, with PSA 10 copies selling in the $15,000-$20,000 range and lower grades commanding four figures. What makes it special is that it was the first “update” card issued after Griffey’s true rookie season.
1989 Bowman Ken Griffey Jr. RC: In terms of classic rookie card designs from the late ’80s/early ’90s, the 1989 Bowman Griffey is one of the most iconic and aesthetically pleasing issues. It also suffers from rarity and availability problems due to small original print runs. PSA 10 examples can eclipse $10,000 when they come to market. Even well-centered near-mint copies still demand thousands. Like the ’89 Upper Deck, high quality specimens are seldom seen in active collecting circles since most surviving examples have been in collections for decades.
1990 Fleer Ken Griffey Jr. #178: Many consider the 1990 Fleer Griffey to be the single most aesthetically perfect baseball card ever designed. It perfectly captures Griffey’s motion and youthfulness during his early Mariners years. Unfortunately for collectors, it’s also quite rare to acquire in high grade due to production and centering issues that plagued many 1990 Fleer baseball cards. PSA/BGS Gem Mint 10 specimens have reached astounding prices above $15,000, with most grades fetching four figures or more. It’s one of the most visually striking cards featuring The Kid.
1993 Pinnacle Ken Griffey Jr. Zenithparallel #ZP1:Parallel and insert cards were just emerging as a new subset category in the early 1990s. The 1993 Pinnacle Zenith parallel introduced parallel cardboard numbering and featured some of the set’s top subjects on distinct shiny silver Foilstock cardboard. Naturally, the #1parallel subject was Griffey. Only 250 of these were produced, making it an ultrarare modern parallel card. High grades have sold for well over $10,000 due to the extreme limited quantities and subject matter focusing on Griffey during his apex years.
1992 Ultra Fleer Ken Griffey Jr. #192: Ultra was Fleer’s attempt to directly compete with Upper Deck by producing a high-end set featuring die-cut and foil embossed cards in 1992 and 1993. Unfortunately these sets suffered from low print runs and quality control issues. As a result, Griffey’s main card and all-star subset card from the 1992 Ultra set are especially difficult to acquire in pristine condition. PSA 10 examples of the #192 have reached $20,000 at auction due to scarcity versus similar but more produced ’92 Fleer issues.
1992 Bowman’s Best Refractor Ken Griffey Jr. #BG1: Bowman’s Best was one of the earliest mainstream baseball sets to include refractors and parallels as bonus premium puzzle cards inserted randomly. Naturally, Griffey was featured prominently as card #BG1. Only 50 of these super short printed parallel refractors were produced, making it one of the true holy grails for any Griffey PC holder. Just two years ago an imperfect PSA 8 copy sold for over $50,000, showing how rare these have become in the modern era.
1986 Topps Ken Griffey Sr./Jr. #574: Even before Junior made his major league debut, collectors knew he was a special talent from this famous father-son rookie card produced in 1986. Topps wisely chose to feature both Griffeys posing together, no doubt anticipating the cards future nostalgia appeal once Junior’s career took off. High grades still trade hands in the $3,000+ range today due to its historical significance in commemorating the Griffey family link before the son earned his true rookie status several years later.
1994 Leaf Limited Ken Griffey Jr. #59: Though short lived, Leaf Limited positioned themselves as an alternative to Ultra and Finest in the early to mid-1990s by producing metallic parallels and autographed inserts of rising stars like Griffey. Their Rare Air parallels were limited to only 10 copies each. Reportedly only a single PSA 10 Mint condition example of Griffey’s Rare Air parallel (#59) is known to exist. It would undoubtedly break records if it ever became available, no doubt approaching 6 figure territory due to extreme rarity factors.
While Ken Griffey Jr. was one of the most popular players of the 1990s baseball card boom, appreciation for his early career issues has only grown further with time. The combination of Griffey mania, low original print runs, and the natural forces of cards disappearing from the marketplace over 30+ years has made high grade specimens of his rookie cards and early Mariners issues incredibly rare collectibles. For advanced Griffey PC collectors, finding examples in pristine NM-MT or Gem Mint condition of the above described rare variations can require both deep pockets and persistence. They represent some of the most coveted modern-era baseball cards when condition graded and preserved in their full original splendor.
