One of the most valuable and sought after 1989 baseball cards is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Griffey was one of the biggest young stars in baseball at the time and his rookie card has only increased in value and demand over the decades. In near mint to mint condition, Griffey’s rookie now sells for thousands of dollars. Mint condition examples in a PSA or BGS slab have sold at auction for over $10,000. Even well-centered copies in excellent condition without grading can sell for $1,000 or more. Griffey’s rookie established him as a future star and one of the most talented young players baseball had seen.
Another extremely valuable 1989 card is the Frank Thomas rookie card. Like Griffey, Thomas went on to have a Hall of Fame caliber career and his rookie card saw a huge spike in demand and value in recent years. High-grade Thomas rookies in BGS or PSA slabs have crossed the $5,000 sales threshold at auction. Even raw copies in stellar near-mint or better condition can sell in the $1,000s. Thomas was already showing his incredible power and hitting skills as a rookie, making his debut card quite sought after for anyone collecting the 1990s Chicago White Sox star.
Continuing with rookie card valuations, the Dennis Martinez 1989 card also holds significant value, even though he was not as big of a name as Griffey or Thomas. Still, Martinez had a very solid career and his rookie remains quite scarce in high-grade. BGS/PSA examples have sold for $2,000+, showing the demand for the cards of established major leaguers even if they weren’t true superstars. Mark Grace also has a valuable rookie from this set, with top-graded copies selling for $1,000-1500. Both Martinez and Grace developed loyal followings that drive the strength in their rookie cards.
Moving beyond rookies, perhaps the single most iconic and widely recognized 1989 card is the Nolan Ryan Upper Deck card, featuring his fiery fastball graphic. This Ryan card is one of the most iconic in the history of the hobby. In pristine condition it can sell for over $10,000. Even well-centered near-mint copies still demand $1,000+ due to the extreme first year pop u arity of Upper Deck and Ryan’s legendary status. The card captured Lightning Bolt Ryan in his peak years and remains one of the true classic images of baseball cards.
Other star players with valuable 1989 cards include Roger Clemens, whose rookie year was 1986 but remained hugely popular in the late 80s. High-grade Clemens can reach $600-700. Will Clark had an incredible rookie Pop in ’86 and followed up with a nice career, making PSA 9 examples of his ’89 issue sell around $400-500 currently. Andres Galarraga rookie cards are a nice pick-up, with Mint status ones selling for ~$300; he was with Montreal in 1989 before being traded and having huge seasons in the 1990s. Ozzie Smith, the greatest defensive wizard, can sell for $200-300 in top shape as 1989 marked his first season with the Cardinals.
In terms of set value overall, some key things to note are that the more iconic and complete the set, generally the more valuable it is. The flagship Topps set leads the way, but 1989 also saw the debut of Score and Upper Deck – two hugely important brands. The complete base Upper Deck set in high grade could sell for $2,000-3000 or more. Each brand also had coveted parallels, inserts, and variations that increase rarity and value for collectors. Even common 1989 cards still hold decent collector value due to the vintage, star power of included players, and boom in interest that era of the sport has seen in recent times.
The 1989 baseball card season was one of the true iconic years that helped push the entire hobby to new heights thanks to brands like Score and Upper Deck entering the scene. Flagship issues as well as stunning rookie cards like Griffey Jr., Frank Thomas, and Dennis Martinez remain highly sought after and valuable for collectors even decades later. Key veterans from the era like Nolan Ryan, Ozzie Smith, and Roger Clemens continue to gain new admirers as well. For these reasons, 1989 remains a benchmark year for finding hidden gems and establishing a strong vintage collection foundation due to the star power, competitiveness of brands during the boom, and lasting nostalgia from that era in MLB.
