The 1989 Topps baseball card set was a hugely popular release that featured major stars and rookie cards that remain coveted by collectors to this day. This was a transitional year for Topps as the company made some changes to their designs and incorporated new technology into the production process that would become standard for decades to come.
Topps released its flagship set of 792 cards in 1989. The design featured a player photo on a colored background with their name and team name arched over the top. Card numbers were found in the bottom right corner. One notable change was that Topps added perforated edges to the sides of the cards for the first time, allowing eager collectors to carefully remove cards from the packaging without damaging them. This small alteration made organizing and displaying collections much easier.
Some of the biggest stars and most valuable rookie cards from the 1989 Topps set included Ken Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, Gregg Maddux, Barry Larkin, and Randy Johnson. Griffey Jr.’s iconic rookie card from this set remains one of the most sought after and highest valued cards in the hobby due to his popularity and Hall of Fame career. The Thomas, Maddux, and Larkin rookies are also very valuable as all three players went on to have excellent MLB careers and be inducted into Cooperstown.
Topps continued their “traded” series, which featured players from the previous season who were dealt to new teams over the offseason. Notable traded cards included Kirk Gibson moving from the Dodgers to the Angels and Rickey Henderson going from the Yankees to the A’s. Topps also produced “update” cards for players who switched teams after the initial flagship series was printed and distributed.
For the first time in 1989, Topps incorporated a computerized process into the production of their baseball cards that allowed for variations in photo positioning and cropping between the standard and high-number issue cards (numbers 501-792). This introduced a new layer of collecting interest as card variations took on additional value. Topps would refine this computerization technique in subsequent years.
Going beyond the standard player cards, Topps included popular insert sets like “Turn Back The Clock” featuring retro designs paying homage to the earliest days of the hobby. Other inserts spotlighted Hall of Famers, All-Star records, and even comics highlighting amusing baseball anecdotes. Topps Gum, the most widely distributed American bubble gum brand at the time, continued to be included with each wax pack for kids to enjoy as they sorted through their new cardboard treasures.
Several factors contributed to the 1989 Topps baseball card set being so revered among collectors today. Stars like Griffey Jr., Thomas, and Maddux exploded onto the scene with legendary careers and their rookie cards remain the most valuable from the set as a result. The computerized variations in photo cropping added a fun new layer of intricacy for collectors to discover as well. The design also announced Topps transition into new packaging styles and production technology they would carry through the 90s boom period.
While resale prices for unworn, gem mint condition 1989 Griffey and Thomas rookies can reach five figures today, mid-range well-kept examples from this classic set can still be acquired for reasonable prices. The design has held up extremely well and remains a favorite amongst collectors both for its attractive simplicity as well as the talented players and rookie stars it features. For fans of the late 80s/early 90s era of the game, the 1989 Topps set is a must-have piece of baseball card history that plays a pivotal role in any collection.
With over 790 individual cards to find, assemble, and admire, the 1989 Topps baseball set provided an absorbing quest for countless children of the era. The excitement of discovering star players, sorting through statistics, completing team sets and pursuing variations is what ignited a passion for the hobby in generations of collectors. Three decades later, the allure of its featured players like Griffey Jr. as well as the technological milestones Topps achieved with this production run have cemented the 1989 issue as one of the most fondly remembered and extensively collected in the modern age of the baseball card.
