One of the most fascinating components about the hobby, in my humble opinion, is how it becomes attached to certain players over others. This inevitably affects demand, supply and value. The hobby’s collective concern with a certain player typically stems from a beloved, unique or iconic rookie card, which trickles into the remainder of a player’s market. Probably the most obvious example of that phenomenon is with Mickey Mantle, whose 1952 Topps rookie (hot take: not actually his rookie card) is incredibly scarce due to its crazy origin story. As a result, overall hobby interest in the rest of Mantle’s cards is massive… even bigger than Mantle contemporaries such as Willie Mays and Hank Aaron, who most baseball historians would certainly rank above Mantle on the list of baseball’s all-time greats.
Another striking example of this phenomenon is with Ken Griffey Jr., who is universally adored in the hobby even though he debuted at the height of the junk wax era and played through the steroid era. A combination of those factors has historically equated to overall hobby disinterest (look no further than rookie card prices of most other 90s sluggers). Not so with Griffey. The Kid burst onto the MLB scene in 1989 and the hobby has loved him ever since. These days, Griffey is one of the most common names card show dealers hear in response to “what players are you looking for today?” Just like Mantle, the hobby’s obsession with Ken Griffey Jr. stems from one particularly iconic rookie card. Let’s take a look at his five most iconic rookie cards and what they’re worth.
1989 Bowman Baseball #220 Ken Griffey Jr.
Nowadays, Bowman is the go-to product for baseball prospect cards. “1st Bowmans” are often a player’s earliest cards, joining rookie cards as their most sought-after cards. While that distinction has formed over the last few decades, the 1989 Bowman baseball set was closer to a standard release with an emphasis on rookie cards. However, it was particularly notable because the 1989 set was the reintroduction of Bowman baseball after a 34-year hiatus. Fittingly, Ken Griffey Jr. was the featured member of the 1989 rookie class. This Bowman set featured oversized cards that matched the dimensions of 1950s Bowman baseball cards… so if you ever acquire a 1989 Griffey rookie, please don’t try jamming it into a standard-size BCW box! While you can grab a raw copy for about $5-10, those larger dimensions have made Griffey’s Bowman rookie a rather tough grade. A PSA 10 copy of the 1989 Bowman Baseball #220 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is worth north of $250!
1989 Topps Heads Up! #5 Ken Griffey Jr.
If you’re familiar with the hobby whatsoever, you may very well know what’s coming at #1 on this list, but if you’re rather new to the hobby, you might be surprised about what’s included here at #4… the 1989 Topps Heads Up Ken Griffey Jr. card. Well, “card” might be a stretch… it’s more of a miniature, pre-Fathead-era, Fathead-like-thing. Okay, just look at the picture. This “card” came with a suction cup so you could hang it up on a window or wherever it would stick. The 1989 Topps Heads Up! set was a test issue, so it had a very limited print run, resulting in incredible scarcity. If you consider it a card, this is the rarest Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card in existence. There is currently a PSA 6 up for auction on eBay with a starting bid of $35,000!
“why did you make me into a floating head?”
1989 Fleer Glossy #548 Ken Griffey Jr.
This set was the short-lived Fleer version of Topps Tiffany. Much more limited in print run than Griffey’s 1989 Fleer flagship rookie, the glossy Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is the chase-able version. With that old “M’s” logo in the top right corner, this card features another mean-mug photo from Griffey. At least it’s more than a floating head! If you go searching for a Griffey Fleer Glossy rookie, be careful… and buy it slabbed. As is often the case with Topps Tiffany, many people mistake their flagship versions with the glossy versions. Grading companies won’t make that mistake, and you’ll be sure to know it’s the glossy variety because the slab will say so. This doesn’t stop eBay sellers from listings 1989 Fleer Griffey rookie slabs as glossy versions… so just be vigilant if you’re chasing this one down. A PSA 10 copy of the 1989 Fleer Glossy #548 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is worth about $4,500, based on recent auctions, while raw copies are worth between $30 and $250, the variance likely due to the risk that the card actually isn’t from the glossy set.
1989 Topps Traded Tiffany #41T Ken Griffey Jr.
Topps may have made a grave mistake by not including Griffey in its flagship 1989 set, but he did make the 132-card checklist for 1989 Topps Traded. The Tiffany version of the set has a microscopic junk wax era print run of about 15,000, making it potentially the most rare Griffey rookie card other than the 1989 Topps Heads Up! “card.” Because of that, it’s also subject to counterfeiting, so again, be careful when you’re on the lookout for a 1989 Topps Tiffany Griffey rookie. Man, doesn’t it look like that bat is just taking a quick siesta before being used as the centerpiece of an inevitable and beautiful Griffey uppercut that will send a ball deep into orbit?
Based on recent auctions, a PSA 10 copy of the 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany #41T Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is worth abut $3,500, while raw copies have recently sold for between $10 and $350 depending on condition and auction house.
1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr.
Well, we have arrived at the obvious and unmistakable #1 on this list of most iconic Ken Griffey Jr. rookie cards, and as you assumed, it is the 1989 Upper Deck Griffey rookie. In the era of overproduction, how in the world does this card hold value? Well, friends, here’s a simple lesson in supply and demand. Even with a massive supply (over 110,000 copies of this card have been graded by PSA alone), the even more massive demand keeps the value of this 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card at about $100 a pop raw and in solid condition. Speaking of condition, according to Wikipedia, “The card was situated in the top left hand corner of the uncut sheets and was more liable to be cut poorly or have its corners dinged.” Because of Upper Deck’s return policy and Griffey’s popularity, “Many Griffey cards were returned and the result was that Upper Deck printed many uncut sheets of just Ken Griffey Jr.” (Wikipedia). Based on recent auctions, a PSA 10 copy of the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is worth about $3,500.
Ken Griffey Jr. was, in many ways, a baseball unicorn… a super slugger who was good for 40+ homers in any given year, he was also one of the best centerfielders to play the game. He also played with a universally loved pizzazz… who can forget that backwards hat? So it’s fitting that Griffey is a hobby unicorn as well. His Upper Deck rookie is not universally loved because of scarcity, but in part because Upper Deck made a genius move to make a rookie the centerpiece of their flagship set and in part because, well, we all just ate it up. Obviously Griffey delivered thereafter on the field, never got wrapped up in any steroid controversies, and here we are 35 years later with the ’89 Upper Deck Griffey rookie as one of the most iconic baseball cards in existence. Also, have you ever noticed that out of all of Griffey’s rookie cards, this is the only one on which he looks like he’s having a good time? Maybe our subconscious hobby minds just drew us to a smiling Kid.
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