One of the most valuable rookie cards from the 1988 Fleer baseball set is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Griffey was one of the most exciting young players to enter the league at that time and went on to have a legendary Hall of Fame career. His rookie card from the 1988 Fleer set in near mint condition can be worth thousands of dollars depending on factors like centering and corners. A pristine Griffey Jr. rookie in a PSA 10 gem mint grade could fetch over $10,000. Even ones in excellent to near mint condition from PSA 8-9 can sell for $500-$2000. The Griffey rookie is always in high demand from collectors.

Another valuable rookie card from the 1988 Fleer set belongs to Tom Glavine. Glavine went on to win 305 games and two Cy Young awards over a dominant pitching career for the Atlanta Braves. His rookie card isn’t as valuable as Griffey’s due to lower population, but mint condition Glavine rookies can still sell for $400-600. Lesser quality graded versions around PSA 7 could sell for $150-250.

Rookie cards for Gregg Jefferies and Ben McDonald also hold value from the 1988 Fleer set. Jefferies had immense hype going into his rookie season with the Mets and his card still sells well today. Near mint or better Jefferies rookies graded PSA 8-9 can sell for $75-150. Ben McDonald’s card carries value as well since he was chosen first overall in the 1989 MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles. Pristine graded versions of his rookie around PSA 9 could sell for $75-150 also.

In addition to rookie cards, stars of the late 80s like Wade Boggs, Don Mattingly, Ozzie Smith and Kirby Puckett have cards in the 1988 Fleer set that maintain value. Keys cards include action/inserted photo variations that are lower population. Mint condition Boggs and Mattingly base cards from 1988 Fleer can sell for $20-40 raw. An action photo variation of Mattingly could be worth over $100 in PSA 8-9 condition.

Short prints are also valuable in the 1988 Fleer set. Players like Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Ricky Henderson all have short printed base cards that are tougher to obtain in high grade. Canseco’s short print has sold for over $300 in a PSA 9 gem mint state. Near mint graded versions around PSA 8 can still fetch $75-150 due to the card’s rarity.

The 1988 Fleer baseball set is also notable for including the Ken Griffey Sr. traded card. Griffey Sr. was traded from the Yankees to the Reds prior to the 1988 season. His traded card shows him in a Reds uniform for the first and only time. The traded Griffey Sr. card in high grade can sell for $40-80.

One final category of valuable 1988 Fleer baseball cards are oddball inserts like Mark McGwire in a Cardinals batting helmet or Ozzie Smith in his trademark backflip pose. Crisp, flawless examples of odd inserts featuring star players can sell for $50-100 graded PSA 9. More common inserts still hold value raw around $10-20 a card.

The 1988 Fleer baseball card set remains a highly collectible vintage release due to legendary rookie cards of Ken Griffey Jr., Tom Glavine and others. Stars of the late 80s, statistical leaders, short prints, traded inserts and oddball parallels all contribute to strong secondary market prices for high grade, condition sensitive versions of these classic cardboard issues over 30 years later. The depth of hobby interest keeps the set viable for long term collecting and investment purposes.