Ken Griffey Sr. had a 19-year career in Major League Baseball as an outfielder, primarily playing for the Cincinnati Reds from 1973 to 1981 and briefly for the Yankees in 1982. While his son, Ken Griffey Jr., would go on to have a far more acclaimed career and become a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Griffey Sr. had his moments of excellence as well during his playing days. He made one All-Star team and was a solid contributor for many years for the Big Red Machine of the 1970s. As a result of his MLB tenure, Griffey Sr. has his fair share of baseball cards that collectors still seek out today.
One of Griffey Sr.’s earliest notable baseball cards comes from his rookie season of 1973 with the Reds. That year, Topps released Griffey Sr. in their standard baseball card set in card number 610. The photo on the card shows Griffey from his time with the Reds’ AA affiliate, the Tulsa Oilers, as he had not yet made his MLB debut at the time the 1973 Topps cards were produced. Still, it marked Griffey Sr.’s first appearance in the set and captured his early professional career before reaching the major leagues. Examples of this Griffey Sr. rookie card inNear Mint to Mint condition can fetch over $100 today.
In 1974, after establishing himself on the Reds’ roster, Griffey Sr. received better exposure in that year’s Topps set. His 1974 card shows him in a Reds uniform and is numbered at 492. This marked Griffey Sr.’s first “true” rookie card issued after he had MLB playing time. The card captured the lefty swinging outfielder poised at the plate ready to take a cut. Examples in good condition can be acquired for $10-20, with higher grades reaching $50-75 given it documented Griffey Sr.’s rookie season in the bigs.
Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Griffey Sr. continued to be prominently featured in the annual Topps sets as he was a regular contributor for the Big Red Machine. The 1975 through 1981 Topps Griffey Sr. cards similarly portray him in a Reds uniform and increase slightly in value the closer they get to his 1977 All-Star season. But overall, most are relatively affordable for collectors even in higher grades.
Beyond Topps, the other major baseball card producer in the 1970s and early 1980s was Bowman. They also included Griffey Sr. in their yearly sets. The standout among his Bowman cards is arguably the 1976 issue, which is considered one of the more visually appealing vintage Griffey Sr. cards. It shows him confidently rounding third base heading for home plate. This scarce card has been steadily increasing in value over the past decade, with high-grade examples now selling in the $100-200 range.
Griffey Sr.’s final season playing regularly was in 1981 with Cincinnati. Not only was this the last year of his tenure with the Reds, but it was also the final season of the original Bowman and Topps runs before both companies lost the baseball card license. As a result, the 1981 Griffey Sr. cards from each holder are highly coveted by collectors seeking “last of” types of issues from the 1970s-era of the business. Both can reach $50-75 even in played condition.
After wrapping up his Reds career, Griffey Sr. had brief stints with the Yankees in 1982 and White Sox in 1983. His time in pinstripes netted him cards in that year’s Donruss and Topps Traded sets numbered to his Yankees tenure. By this point in his career Griffey Sr. saw diminished playing time. So these later vintage cards are far more obtainable for collectors on modest budgets.
In the modern era, Griffey Sr. hasn’t had any new mainstream card issues aside from the occasional vintage reprint. In 2019, Topps released players in their Archives Signature Series line with Ken Griffey Sr. receiving an autographed card limited to only 25 copies. Unsurprisingly, given the ultra-low print run, PSA/BGS Gem Mint 10 examples of this prestige product have realized over $1,000 at auction.
While Griffey Sr.’s son would eclipse him fame-wise through the 1990s and 2000s, the elder Griffey’s place in baseball history is cemented not just through his baseball reference stats but in the vintage cards produced during his playing career as well. Spanning the 1970s prime for Topps and Bowman, Griffey Sr.’s cards provide a visual timeline of his contributions for the Big Red Machine and a unique connection to one of the most famous father-son duos in the sport’s annals. For collectors, his cardboard offers affordable opportunities to accrue a complete vintage Reds/Bowman/Topps run while respecting budgets.
