The 1989 baseball card season marked the final year of dominance for the Fleer and Topps brands in the industry. While Donruss and Score entered the market in the mid-1980s, Fleer and Topps still published the flagship sets that contained the most desirable rookie cards and veteran stars of the day. Several of the top cards from the ’89 Fleer and Topps sets have stood the test of time and remain highly coveted by collectors today due to the star power and historical significance of the players featured.
Arguably the most famous and valuable card from 1989 is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card from the Upper Deck brand. While Upper Deck was still a fledgling third party in the industry in 1989, they scored a huge coup by signing an exclusive contract with the Seattle Mariners to feature Griffey’s first baseball card. Known for its impressive artwork and revolutionary design compared to traditional cardboard at the time, Griffey’s rookie UD card shot to the top of want lists immediately upon release. Several factors contribute to its blue-chip status – Griffey would go on to have a Hall of Fame career, he was incredibly popular and marketable as the son of former major leaguer Ken Griffey Sr., and the scarcity of Upper Deck cards in general at the time makes high grade Griffey rookies extremely tough to come by today. Pristine mint condition copies in a Gem Mint 10 grade frequently sell for well over $10,000, with uncirculated specimens occasionally reaching six figures at auction.
While Upper Deck overshadowed the traditional firms for rookie card supremacy in 1989, Topps and Fleer still featured cards that hold tremendous value due to the all-time caliber players featured. Barry Bonds had his rookie card in the ’89 Topps set and has become one of the most coveted vintage cards as Bonds’ prowess at the plate established him as perhaps the greatest slugger in baseball history. In high grades his ’89 Topps RC routinely sells for $1,000+ given his cultural significance at the position. Another left-handed hitting outfielder, Frank Thomas, had perhaps the best offensive season of any first year player in history in 1990 and his ’89 Fleer rookie is a cornerstone of many collections as “The Big Hurt” went on to a Hall of Fame career. With his smooth lefty swing and prodigious power to all fields, Thomas was a fan favorite and his classic Fleer RC maintains appeal with collectors today.
While rookie cards tend to top wish lists, stars in the prime of their careers were also featured prominently in ’89 Fleer and Topps. A relative newcomer in 1989, Ryne Sandberg’s star was rapidly rising as he entered his age 30 season and posted the second of nine consecutive All-Star campaigns. His ’89 Fleer and Topps cards look back to his breakout 1986 and 1987 seasons and feature the slick fielding second baseman at the height of his abilities. Considered one of the best fielders and hitters at the position, Sandberg’s sharp vertical signature adds panache to his ’89 cards that are valued at $50-100 each in high grade. Another age 30 season was enjoyed by Gary Carter, still in the early stages of a Hall of Fame career spent mostly with the Montreal Expos and New York Mets. The ’89 cards portray Carter in the powder blue Expos duds and his Fleer RC is recognized as one of the finest issue rookie cards ever designed, carrying values approaching $1,000 for pristine examples.
While star power drove the values of rookie cards and cards featuring prominent veterans, historical significance has also elevated certain ’89 cards to cult status. An unheralded rookie at the time featured in Fleer was Mike Piazza, who popped just 6 home runs in his initial 75 game cup of coffee with the Los Angeles Dodgers in ’88. His smooth left-handed swing and improving power still intrigued collectors at the time, and his ultra-sharp ’89 Fleer RC looks positively prophetic now as Piazza evolved into the greatest hitting catcher of all time. Another intriguing historical card comes from the often-overlooked 1989 O-Pee-Chee brand. While not widely distributed in the United States, O-Pee-Chee was the Canadian equivalent of Topps and featured exclusive English-Canadian content not found in the American releases. Their ’89 set contained the only rookie card issued of Jack Morris, who would be instrumental to three different pennant winners in the next five seasons and culminated his career with an impressive Hall of Fame induction in 2018. Pristine examples of these cards showcase baseball’s rich history and have multiplied in value significantly due to the ascension of these players to all-time status.
The 1989 card season provided a cornucopia of valuable vintage cardboard. Between the unprecedented popularity of the Griffey UD RC, franchise cornerstone cards like Bonds and Thomas in their debut seasons, stars in their prime like Sandberg, Piazza’s burgeoning potential finally reflected in a true rookie issue, and a few unexpected historically significant long shots, it’s no surprise that cards from ’89 Topps, Fleer, Donruss, Score and Upper Deck continue to captivate collectors today. With the 30th anniversaries of many of these classic issues coming up in 2019, interest and prices appear sure to remain robust for these blue-chip investments that also ignite memories of summers past.
