The 1989 Topps baseball card set is considered one of the most iconic and valuable sets from the late 1980s. The design featured sharp, vibrantly colored team logos along with action shots of the players on a white background. Topps produced 660 total cards in the 1989 set including 652 base cards, 4 traded cards, and 4 short print cards. While the design has stood the test of time, the set also marked an important transition year in the baseball card market that would impact values significantly going forward.
In 1989, Major League Baseball players were on the verge of a labor strike that would end up canceling the remainder of the season as well as the World Series. With labor unrest looming, Topps rushed to get the 1989 set to market earlier than usual that year in an effort to maximize sales before a potential work stoppage. This marked the beginning of Topps moving toward releasing sets prior to the completion of the regular MLB season. In the decades since, nearly all major baseball card companies follow this early release model today.
While getting the 1989 cards to market sooner than prior years proved beneficial from a sales perspective, it also drew more attention to the inclusion of prospect cards in the base set. For the first time, Topps inserted the cards of players who had not yet made their MLB debut directly into the standard 652 card checklist. This included stars like Barry Larkin, Gregg Jefferies, and Mark Grace who would go on to have fantastic careers. The prospect hype led to many of these rookie cards being overproduced and mass pulled from packs. As a result, most of the big name prospects from the 1989 set carry significantly less value today compared to true rookie cards released after a player’s debut.
When it comes to the short print and hobby-exclusiveinserted parallel cards from the 1989 Topps set that used rarer photo and statistical variations, values can soar much higher due to limited production. Perhaps most notably, the short printed #652 card of Ruben Sierra is one of the true singles grails from the whole 1980s era. Going rate for a PSA 10 Gem Mint Sierra #652 short print ranges between $4,000-$6,000 today for its photo rarity. Other short prints like #105 Walt Weiss, #312 Kevin McReynolds, and #456 Daryl Boston can also command $100+ in high grades due to card counters indicating they appear 1 in every 2-3 hobby boxes on average.
In terms of the true, flagship rookie cards housed in the 1989 Topps set – none capture more attention and command higher prices than the debut issues of Greg Maddux and Tom Glavine. Maddux’s rookie on card #250 and Glavine’s on #376 played central roles for the Atlanta Braves dynasty teams of the 1990s and are certified hall of fame pitcher gems. Despite being regularly produced base cards, pristine PSA 10 copies of these rookies routinely auction upwards of $1,000. The #1 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie also brings big bucks between $500-$800 in top condition despite variable production over the years increasing overall availability compared to Maddux and Glavine.
Continuing down the rookie checklist, #152 Gary Sheffield, #218 Jeffrey Leonard, and #301 Ozzie Guillen also emerge as valued 1980s/90s player debut issues seeing prices of $100-300 in top PSA 10 grades. Like the prospect cards mentioned earlier, many perceived rookie “hits” from the 1989 lineup like Gregg Jefferies (#140), Barry Larkin (#156), and Mark Grace (#301) have failed to stand the tests of time due to high initial production levels. As a result, despite Griffey and Sheffield emerging as superstars – Jefferies, Larkin, and Grace rookies rarely exceed $20-50 prices today.
When assembling a complete set of the 1989 Topps baseball issue, most of the 652 base cards can be acquired in EX-MT condition for $1-3 each. The true chase cards with condition sensitive photo variation and star players begins to drive set completion costs much higher. A full master set with all 652 included plus the 4 traded set cards and high grade examples of keys like Maddux, Glavine, and Griffey Junior would easily top $2,000 today. And for those seeking true mint condition across the board, a fully graded PSA/BGS set could push north of $10,000 or more depending on availability of the highest demand short prints.
The 1989 Topps design revolutionized the baseball card aesthetic of the late 80s and early 90s while also pushing theRelease of sets timeline forward. Though mass production dampened values of some perceived rookie hits – true stars like Maddux, Glavine and Griffey Jr. Cemented their debut issues as prized vintage cardboard. When combined with coveted short prints andparallel inserts featuring rarer variations, the 1989 checklist emerges as one of the most complete and investable vintage sets from the junk wax era. While raw common copies can still be assembled fairly affordably, the highest conditioned examples of key rookie and stars cards command thousands. For vintage collectors, 1989 Topps proves itself as one of the most iconic designs and financially engaging issues to chase.
