Many card collectors love buying and adding classic baseball cards to their personal collections. These cards hold value for their history and uniqueness to each specific era. Plus, it isn’t a bad purchase when you know who the greats are and the value their cards hold. Out of the classic baseball card sets, the 1989 Upper Deck baseball card set is truly one for the ages!
If you’ve been in the card collecting space for some time, you’ve probably heard of the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card from this set. It’s one of the most beloved and valuable cards available to this day, not to mention the several other cards from 1989’s Upper Deck baseball lineup that have exceptional qualities in their own right.
We’ll break it all down for you in this article to show you why this is a special set of baseball cards and let you in on which ones are great investments for your collection.
The Ken Griffey Jr. Seattle Mariners Rookie Card
Any guide that covers the 1989 Upper Deck baseball set has to lead with Ken Griffey Jr.’s rookie card.
At the start of the 1989 season, Griffey Jr. was prepared to make one of the most hyped MLB debuts. Known as “The Kid,” “The Natural,” and “The Prodigy” as his primary nicknames, everyone knew he would be a special player. That’s why Upper Deck put him as the #1 card in their 1989 set.
In 1989, the Mariners called Ken Griffey Jr. up from Double-A (skipping Triple-A) because they couldn’t wait any longer to get this up-and-coming superstar into the majors. That decision turned out to be a good one as he showed major flashes of greatness in his first season and went on to lead one of the all-time great careers.
His career consisted of:
- 630 home runs
- 1,836 RBIs
- 1 MVP season
- 13 All-Star Game selections
- 10 Gold Glove Awards
- 7 Silver Slugger Awards
It was truly a career to remember, resulting in a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction in 2016, with an all-time high of 99.32% of the votes.
Why This Card Is So Special
As with the rookie card from any of the greats, Griffey Jr.’s rookie card holds intrinsic value as being a piece of history during the 1989 season. Today, it’s valued at over $2,000 when you see PSA 10s of it up for auction on eBay.
Speaking of the PSA, this card is the most graded card by the PSA in history. Over 96,000 of these cards have been graded by the PSA in 2023.
Among those, just over 4,000 of them have received a perfect grade of 10, making those elusive PSA 10s much more valuable when one comes up for sale.
Even if you can find PSA 8s and 9s of this card, you’re in luck because they can still go for over $1,000+ in auctions.
However, most collectors will simply be thrilled to have this card as part of their PC. Griffey Jr. truly changed the game with his unique style, swagger, and flashy plays he made as a batter and fielder.
The Dale Murphy Braves Reverse Negative
Reverse Negative
Corrected
Have you ever heard of error cards? In the sports card world, any bit of uniqueness can give a card extra value. That’s why the Dale Murphy reverse negative from Upper Deck’s 1989 baseball set stands out.
A reverse negative means the picture was accidentally flipped horizontally when the cards were printed. So Dale Murphy looks like he is holding the bat over his shoulder like a lefty would, rather than his natural right-handed position.
Eventually, the error was corrected in later prints of the 1989 Upper Deck cards, which ultimately gave these rare reverse negatives even more value. PSA 10s of the reverse negative card can go for over $500 in auctions. That’s a lot better than the correct variation that only goes for around $25. It’s unbelievable how much value an error can bring.
Was This a Coincidence or Intentional?
In 1957, former Braves outfielder Hank Aaron’s Topps card was mistakenly printed as a reverse negative. Both Aaron and Murphy were right-handed outfielders for the Braves, pictured on these cards with the bat appearing on the wrong side.
Some collectors theorize this is more than a coincidence and instead done as a callback to that card and to provide a chaser to incentivize buying packs.
Whatever the case is, it’s a cool and unique card to add to your PC if you can get your hands on one. Plus, if you could combine it with that ‘57 Hank Aaron reverse negative in your collection, it could make a spectacular combo. In the last 30 days, the ‘57 Hank Aaron reverse negative has been going for around $200+ in auctions. So both cards are pretty valuable.
Gary Sheffield’s Brewers Rookie Card
Gary Sheffield was a talented slugger in the MLB, being a member of the 500 home run club in his career and racking up 5 Silver Slugger awards. While he wasn’t quite the standout that Ken Griffey Jr. was, Sheffield was still one of the star players of this era and made his mark on the MLB.
However, Gary Sheffield’s legacy has been detracted from due to being part of the large PED scandal that many players from that era were found to be tied up in. It’s one of the largest separators between him and players like Griffey Jr., who did not use PEDs. Despite putting up big numbers, it’ll likely keep Sheffield out of the Hall of Fame.
Another Valuable Error Card
While the PED scandal has lowered the overall value of correct variations of Sheffield’s rookie card to around $40+ in auctions, one variation is much more valuable.
Upon printing out the first sets of these 1989 Upper Deck cards, there was a slight error on the Sheffield ones. The “SS” for shortstop, marked at the top right-hand corner of the card, was mistakenly printed upside down on some of them. It’s tough to notice at first glance, so you do have to closely review it when buying to make sure it’s the real deal. You’ll notice the bottom part of the S’s on the error one looks just ever so slightly smaller.
When you find one of the upside-down SS variations of this card, they can sell for $500+. This card can be a great investment for your PC for that reason and even a nice pairing with the previously mentioned Dale Murphy reverse negative.
Randy Johnson Mariners Rookie Card
In 1989, many MLB fans and experts didn’t think much of Randy Johnson as he debuted with the Mariners. While he stood out as the tallest player in MLB history at the time at a staggering 6’10” and could pitch a blazing fastball in the upper 90s, he struggled mightily with his control. He was one of the league leaders in walks in his first few seasons.
While this card from Upper Deck’s 1989 baseball set didn’t seem like it would have much value early on, those who held onto it likely saw some great returns. Johnson later honed his game and became one of the most feared pitchers in MLB history. Throughout his career, he racked up:
- 4,875 strikeouts
- 303 wins
- Being the oldest player (at 41) to pitch a perfect game
- 10 All-Star Game appearances
- 5 Cy Young Awards
Johnson’s ability to improve and unbelievably perform better as he got into his later 30s and 40s marks him as one of the most exciting pitchers of that era. It’s why PSA 10s of his rookie card go for $100+ today and can be an excellent investment for your PC.
Nolan Ryan’s Astros and Rangers Cards
Astros
Rangers
You usually don’t see many baseball cards become popular from a season when a pitcher was 42 years old. However, just as Randy Johnson was able to defy time later in his career, Nolan Ryan completed a similar feat during the 1989 season, making this card pretty special for those who’ve held onto it.
Since this was the first set that Upper Deck had ever released, they wanted to do something special, so they released both an Astros and Rangers variation of Ryan’s card. This was because his tenure with the Astros was coming to a close, and he was newly acquired by the Rangers.
In particular, the Astros’ variation of this card was unique at the time and showed how Upper Deck was trying to revolutionize the baseball card space. It shows a triple image of Ryan going through the windup, delivery, and follow-through of a pitch, giving a snapshot of what it was like to face him in action.
1989 ended up being a monumental season for Nolan Ryan. He impressively led the league with 301 strikeouts, racked up 16 wins, and even passed a career milestone of 5,000 strikeouts. It’s why this card sells for around $60+ to this day.
Other Notable Mentions
Along with the 5 standouts listed above, here are some other excellent cards from the 1989 Upper Deck baseball set that would make great additions to your PC:
- John Smoltz Braves Rookie Card: Another stout rookie, John Smoltz, made his Braves debut in 1989. He saw 8 All-Star appearances during his career and was one of the top starting and relief pitchers from the 1990s to the early 2000s. This card sells for $50+ today.
- Bo Jackson Royals: While Bo Jackson wasn’t an incredible baseball player, most hobbyists enjoy this and many of his other cards due to his iconic ability to perform at a high level in both football and baseball. 1989 was his best season racking up 32 home runs and 105 RBIs. This card sells for around $40+.
- Craig Biggio Astros Rookie Card: Craig Biggio was a defensive all-star throughout his career at both catcher and second base. He was also a great hitter, racking up 5 Silver Slugger Awards. His outstanding performances got him elected to the Hall of Fame in 2015, making his rookie card pretty valuable for your PC.
- Edgar Martinez Mariners Rookie Card: Another Hall of Famer, Edgar Martinez was one of the best DHs of all time. He racked up 7 All-Star appearances, 5 Silver Slugger Awards, and was a 2-time batting champion. It makes this card a great one for your collection as well.
- Gregg Jefferies Mets Rookie Card: Gregg Jeffries was one of the most hyped rookies coming into 1989, and Upper Deck even considered making this the #1 card in their set instead of Ken Griffey Jr. That gives this card inherent value to collectors, along with Jeffries having a solid 14-year career and making a couple of All-Star appearances.
Overall, this set has several amazing cards, making these cards an excellent investment and collectibles for your PC.
Conclusion
By now, you should be able to see why Upper Deck’s debut 1989 baseball card set was truly one of the greatest of all time. It’s why many collectors love cards from this set, and they’ll be an excellent investment to make for your PC.
Now, all that’s left is for you to get out there and start looking for them!
