The 1989 Donruss baseball card set was released at the beginning of the baseball season that year and holds nostalgic value for many collectors from that era. While not the most valuable set from the junk wax era that produced billions of cards in the late 1980s, some key rookies and stars from that season are still cherished by collectors today. Let’s take a deeper look at the overall values we see for the main cards from this 752 card set nearly 35 years later.
The biggest name and most valuable card from the 1989 Donruss set is Ken Griffey Jr. Griffey had just finished his rookie season the prior year with the Seattle Mariners where he burst onto the scene and showed signs of greatness. In 1989 Donruss, Griffey’s base card can still fetch $15-20 in near mint condition. The gold parallel of his base card numbered to 500 is much rarer and can sell for $100-150 graded gem mint. Griffey continued to ascend into one of the game’s greatest players which has kept strong collector interest in his rookie cards over the decades.
Another highly sought after rookie from 1989 Donruss is Barry Larkin of the Cincinnati Reds. Larkin won the NL Rookie of the Year award in 1986 and was already an All-Star by 1989. His base card in top condition sells in the $5-8 range while a gold parallel numbered to 500 might reach $40-50. Larkin went on to a Hall of Fame career primarily with the Reds which adds to the lasting popularity of his early Donruss cards. Fellow future Hall of Famer Tom Glavine also had his rookie season in 1989 with the Atlanta Braves but his Donruss rookie is only worth about $3-5 due to Glavine having less fanfare early in his career compared to Griffey and Larkin.
In addition to rookie standouts, superstar cards from 1989 Donruss maintain interest. Ozzie Smith’s iconic defensive wizardry as a 14 time Gold Glove winner makes his base card valued around $8-12. “Nature Boy” Rickey Henderson, the all-time stolen base king, has a $5-7 base card despite bouncing around to a few teams by 1989. Emerging sluggers like Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, and Frank Thomas have $3-5 base cards. Bonds and McGwire would later have monster careers tainted by steroids but their early promise creates collecting value. Power pitcher Nolan Ryan in the final seasons of his legendary career also carries a $4-6 base card price tag.
Beyond the household names, there are a few other key 1989 Donruss cards that can hold added collector value based on what transpired after that season:
Kirby Puckett (Twins) – $5-8 base. Puckett won MVP and led Twins to ’91 WS title cementing legacy.
Will Clark (Giants) – $4-6. Clark was an offensive force but injuries slowed career momentum.
David Cone (Mets) – $3-5. Perfect game in ’88 but bounced around until trade to late ’90s Yankees success.
Bobby Thigpen (White Sox) – $6-9. Record 57 saves in 1990 thrust him to stardom for a short time.
Dennis Eckersley (A’s)- $5-7 base. Had converted to closer by 1989 en route to career renaissance and Hall of Fame.
For investing purposes, the 1989 Donruss set generally holds collector interest due to star players mixed with a few short print parallel cards and rookie cards of future Hall of Famers. Overall values remain relatively low in the junk wax era context but graded examples of Griffey, Larkin, and some stars have potential appreciation over the long term. While it may not produce major keys to a fortune, 1989 Donruss remains an affordable vintage set for collectors on a budget to enjoy players from when they first broke into the big leagues.
