The 1989 Topps baseball card set was one of the more iconic and popular releases of the late 80s. Produced at the height of the baseball card boom, the 1989 Topps set featured future Hall of Famers and rising young stars on every team. As with any vintage release, the popularity and condition of specific 1989 Topps cards can cause values to vary greatly. Below is an in-depth look at price guides and valuation for many of the top cards from the ’89 Topps set.
The most valuable and sought after card from the ’89 Topps set is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Widely considered one of if not the greatest rookie cards of all-time, the Griffey Jr. is the crown jewel of any vintage baseball card collection. In near-mint to mint condition, ungraded examples often sell for $500-1000 or more. PSA/BGS graded 10 examples have sold at auction for upwards of $10,000 due to the extreme rarity and desire for a “black label” Griffey rookie.
Other highly valuable rookie cards from 1989 Topps include Frank Thomas, Barry Larkin, Gregg Maddux, and Randy Johnson. All have averages in the $75-200 range for raw near-mint copies, with graded gems approaching $1000+ each. Mark McGwire’s rookie is also on the more expensive side for ’89 at $50-150 raw. Star rookie cards for Robin Ventura, Moises Alou, and Gary Sheffield tend to trade hands in the $25-75 range depending on condition.
The headliner veteran stars that drive the value of the entire ’89 Topps set are Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs, Nolan Ryan, and Roger Clemens. All four future Hall of Famers have common Near-Mint cards worth $10-25 each, graded EX-MT versions at $50-100, and PSA/BGS 10 gems soaring up to $500 or more depending on the specific player popularity.
Other notable expensive ’89 Topps regular issues include the #1 graded PSA 10 Kirby Puckett ($400-700 range), #75 PSA 10 Darryl Strawberry ($150-300), #150 PSA 10 George Brett ($150-250), and #249 PSA 10 Don Mattingly ($125-225). All high grade flagship cards of superstar 80s players carry hefty price tags.
The ’89 Topps Traded set, while much lower print run, does not contain the rookie phenoms that drive the regular issues. Key cards like Nolan Ryan’s record-setting 300th win (#T18 PSA 10 $125-200) and Ozzie Smith’s 15th consecutive Gold Glove award (#T143 PSA 10 $100-150) still hold value. Other 1989 Topps Traded cards worth $25-75 in top grades include Kirby Puckett, Rickey Henderson, Wade Boggs, and Roger Clemens.
Beyond the traditional card values, there are also two major chase cards that cause prices spikes – the Ken Griffey Jr. Tiffany parallel and the Allan Wiggins error card. The ultra-rare Griffey Tiffany parallel in PSA/BGS Gem Mint condition fetches upwards of $5000-10000 at auction. And the Allan Wiggins error card, where his name is incorrectly misspelled “Allans” on the back, has sold for over $1000 even in lower grades due to its one-of-a-kind status.
When putting together an complete 1989 Topps set, common player cards outside the stars usually go for $1-5 depending on condition. Due to the massive size of the set at 792 total cards, rounding out a high grade master set is no small financial undertaking. A PSA/BGS 9-10 graded 1989 Topps master set has an estimated value well over $10,000 once all the keys cards are obtained in topcondition.
While the 1989 Topps set lacks some of the true superstar rookie cards of prior years, the presence of the all-time excellent Griffey Jr. rookie along with other young phenoms like Frank Thomas and Barry Larkin guarantee this set stays a cornerstone of the vintage baseball card market. With strong single prices across the board for the veteran stars as well, the 1989 Topps set provides a full vintage experience for collectors of the 1980s card boom.
