The 1989 baseball card season marked the transition from 1980s collecting boom to the beginning of the decline era. While production and interest remained high, signs were emerging that the robust childhood hobby was facing challenges.

Topps remained the dominant brand for baseball cards but faced growing competition from newcomers Score and Donruss. All three companies featured extensive tobacco product advertising on their wrappers and packs that would soon be restricted due to health concerns.

The 1989 Topps flagship set totaled 792 cards as the company tried to capture every possible major and minor leaguer into cardboard form. Designs were largely similar to recent years with lively action shots on a white background framed in a colored border. Statistics were included on the back along with a write-up of the player.

Rookies featured included future Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Greg Maddux, and Tom Glavine. Griffey’s card rocketed to the top of want lists everywhere with its vibrant shot of “The Kid” taking a mighty cut. He was hailed as potentially the next Mickey Mantle and looked poised to usher in a new era of baseball excitement.

Other notable rookies were Bobby Witt, Gregg Olson, and Dante Bichette. Witt dazzled scouts with his overpowering fastball but injuries would plague his career. Olson emerged as the premier closer of the early 1990s while Bichette became a solid offensive threat for expansion Colorado.

Donruss boasted a 564-card set headlined by the “Diamond Kings” parallel insert set honoring the game’s greats in shiny foil. Score also offered a 543-card checklist lacking true stars but providing opportunities to grab rising talents at affordable prices. Both relied on multicategory team sets to capture minor leaguers and depth players.

Upper Deck disrupted the status quo with its premium 206-card inaugural release. Cards contained swoosh logos and state-of-the-art design/production quality that set a new standard. Rarest Parallel Star portrait parallels became the most coveted modern chase cards at a time when speculators flourished.

While still deemed a children’s pastime, collecting was maturing in the late 1980s. Sport-related trading card shows emerged as grown adults networked and bartered their duplicate stockpiles. Rival card-sleuthing publications emerged to track checklists and variations with dedicated collector followings.

Wax boxes and packs were routinely scoured at local grocery, drug, and hobby shops by youngsters and older speculators alike during the boom. Some retailers struggled to keep products on shelves amid the frenzied interest. But overproduction was evident for the first time as glutted markets developed.

While many regarded their collections as a long-term investment, the eventual 1990s bust would prove otherwise for most. Eventually, some collections were liquidated or forgotten in attics as the original owners outgrew the pastime. Remaining holdings have appreciated considerably since for those who held tight.

For 1989 specifically, Griffey Jr. and select rookie cards from that year have seen the best investment returns. But for today’s children, collecting in the smartphone era looks much different than the bubble gum-fueled 1980s heyday. That era is fondly remembered as a simpler time when card collections brought neighborhoods of kids together in summer ballparks and trails of bicycle spokes.