The 1989 Donruss baseball card set is one of the most iconic and collectible issues from the late 1980s. While it lacks the enormous superstar rookies of previous years, the ’89 Donruss set featured several short printed and rare cards that have maintained strong values among vintage baseball card collectors. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the key scarce and valuable cards from this 720 card release.
One of the biggest chase cards from the 1989 Donruss set is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. While Griffey had made his MLB debut the previous year, his rookie card rights were with Upper Deck and wouldn’t be released until 1990. As a result, his inaugural Donruss issue from ’89 took on greater significance. Only approximately 200 copies of Griffey’s base card are believed to exist in mint condition due to light printing. In a PSA 10 gem mint state, examples have sold for over $10,000 in recent years. Even well-centered near mint to mint copies in the PSA 8-9 range can fetch $1,000+.
Another hugely valuable short print is the Nolan Ryan card #616 from the ’89 Donruss set. Ryan was still an active pitcher at the time after an incredible 27 year career. Only about 100 copies of this card are thought to remain in pristine condition today. Like the Griffey, examples that grade PSA 10 in a pop report of just a handful sell for $5,000-10,000. High graded versions in the PSA 8-9 class are valued around $1,000-2,000 but examples still in the pack have sold for over $3,000.
Beyond the obvious stars, there are some other notable short printed rookie and prospect cards that are difficult to acquire in top condition today. The Brien Taylor card #256, who was a premier Yankees pitching prospect at the time, has a print run estimated around 300 mint copies. Graded PSA 10 examples are valued north of $1,000. Other coveted low census rookies include Charlie Hayes #640 of the Yankees (100 copies PSA 10 pop), Scott Bankhead #351 of the Reds (200 PSA 10s), and Dave Silvestri #617 of the Red Sox (150 PSA 10s). Even graded PSA 8-9 versions fetch $200-500 depending on the player longevity and team affiliation.
For collectors seeking star player autographed or memorabilia cards from ’89 Donruss, there are also some scarce inserts that carry premium values. The Mike Schmidt autographed card #592 from the Diamond Kings insert set is rarely offered for sale, with just a handful of PSA/DNA authenticated versions known to exist. Likewise, the Nolan Ryan Diamond Kings autograph #583 is valued over $1,000 in high grade. Among the more common but still limited Memorabilia cards, game used bat slices of Ryne Sandberg #388M and Cal Ripken Jr #358M consistently sell for $500-1,000 in top condition.
Outside of the crown jewel short prints and serial numbered inserts, there are a handful of key common cards from the 1989 Donruss set that are still notoriously difficult to acquire in pristine mint condition due to poor centering, printing defects or soft corners/edges over the years. This includes stars like Jose Canseco #1, Mark McGwire #43, Kevin McReynolds #247, and Ozzie Smith #634. Even well cut examples that grade PSA 8 sell easily for over $100 each despite the larger print runs compared to the true short prints discussed above.
While the 1989 Donruss baseball card release lacks the true rookie card bounty of sets from the prior years, it still contains some elite key short printed cards that are veritable holy grails for vintage collectors. Heavy hitters like the Griffey and Ryan rookies maintain tremendous values even decades later in the highest grades. Meanwhile, autographed memorabilia insert cards and tough common stars also retain strong collector demand. For those hunting vintage cardboard treasure from the late 80s, sorting through unloaded 1989 Donruss factory boxes offers the potential to unearth gems still worth thousands today in pristine condition.
