The 1989 Upper Deck baseball card set was truly groundbreaking and helped spark a baseball card collecting craze in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The innovative Upper Deck company released its first baseball card set in 1989 and it featured superior graphics, photography and production quality that blew away the competition. While the 1989 Upper Deck set may not contain the most valuable individual cards, as a complete set it remains one of the most iconic and desirable issues in the hobby due to its historical significance. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the key cards from the ’89 Upper Deck set and what they can be worth today in various conditions.
The 1989 Upper Deck set contains 792 total cards including base cards, rookie cards, star cards, managers/coaches, checklists and future stars cards. Some key rookie cards that are highly sought after include Ken Griffey Jr., Gregg Olson, Barry Larkin, Mark McGwire, Kevin Maas and Ben McDonald. Griffey’s rookie is considered the crown jewel of the set as the future Hall of Famer had already started to generate buzz in his rookie season with the Seattle Mariners. A Griffey rookie card in near mint to mint condition could fetch $500-1000 while a well-centered, gem mint 10 graded card has sold for over $10,000.
Mark McGwire’s rookie is also highly valuable given his status as one of the game’s all-time great sluggers. A mint McGwire rookie could sell for $200-500 depending on centering while a PSA 10 gem is worth $2000-3000. Barry Larkin’s rookie is also very desirable since he had a Hall of Fame career mostly with the Cincinnati Reds. An excellent Larkin rookie might sell for $100-200. Ken Griffey Sr.’s star card from his playing days with the Mariners and Reds is also quite collectible since it’s one of the few cards featuring his son Ken Jr. in the background. A near mint Griffey Sr. star card could sell for $50-100.
Some other notable star cards include Nolan Ryan (Astros), Ozzie Smith (Cardinals), Wade Boggs (Red Sox) and Roger Clemens (Red Sox). All four of these future Hall of Famers were still in their primes in 1989. A mint Ryan star card might fetch $30-50, Smith $20-30 and Boggs/Clemens $15-25 depending on centering and condition. Rookie cards for Gregg Olson, Ben McDonald and Kevin Maas also hold value since they were considered top pitching and position player prospects. An excellent Olson or McDonald rookie could sell in the $25-50 range while a top Maas rookie might bring $10-20.
In terms of the set’s most valuable individual regular issue cards, the top five are generally considered to be the Ken Griffey Jr. ($500-1000 mint), Mark McGwire ($200-500 mint), Nolan Ryan ($30-50 mint), Ozzie Smith ($20-30 mint) and Roger Clemens ($15-25 mint). There are also several other key short prints and parallel/refractor variations that command big money in top grades. The Griffey Jr. Refractor parallel is one of the true unicorns, with a PSA 10 example selling for over $25,000. Other short prints like the Wade Boggs SP and Mark McGwire SP also have values ranging from $50-200+ in high grades.
For collectors looking to build or complete their 1989 Upper Deck set, there are a few different options depending on budget. A lower-grade but complete common set might cost $500-1000 depending on centering/condition of stars. A mid-grade set with many cards grading EX-MT could range $1000-2000. A true mint set with many cards grading MT-MT+ would probably sell for $3000-5000. And a pristine, high-grade gem mint set could potentially reach the $10,000+ range if cards like Griffey Jr., McGwire, Ryan were all PSA 10 quality. Graded subsets of the top rookies or stars can also be assembled more affordably.
While individual cards from the pioneering 1989 Upper Deck set like the Griffey Jr. and McGwire rookies remain desirable, the true value for collectors is possessing a complete set. As one of the most important releases in the entire hobby, the ’89 Upper Deck maintains a special place in baseball card history and the popularity isn’t showing signs of slowing down over 30 years later. For informed collectors, there are still solid long-term appreciation prospects across the whole set in top-tier condition.
