The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. #1 is worth approximately $20-60 raw in typical condition, about $80-200 graded PSA 9, and from several hundred to a few thousand dollars graded PSA 10, depending on the market at the time. It is the most famous baseball card of the 1980s and early 1990s, and it was printed in very large numbers, so the price depends almost entirely on condition. Griffey's other 1989 rookies from Topps Traded, Fleer, Donruss and Bowman are worth less, usually $3-15 raw, with higher prices for PSA 10 copies and for the small Tiffany and glossy parallel versions. Before any of that matters, check that the Upper Deck card is genuine: it was one of the most counterfeited cards of its era.
Quick answer
- A raw 1989 Upper Deck Griffey #1 is worth $20-60, PSA 9 about $80-200, PSA 10 several hundred to a few thousand.
- Look for: "Star Rookie" on the front, the number 1 on the back, a bright and three dimensional hologram on the back, and even white borders.
- It is worth more when the borders are even, the corners sharp and the surface clean enough for a PSA 9 or 10, or when the card is a Bowman Tiffany or Topps Traded Tiffany parallel.
How to check yours, step by step
- Read the brand and number on the back. The Upper Deck card is number 1 in the 1989 Upper Deck set, printed on the back with the Upper Deck logo. Other 1989 Griffey rookies are Bowman #220, Donruss #33, Fleer #548 and Topps Traded #41T.
- Read the front. The Upper Deck card shows Griffey in a Mariners uniform with a "Star Rookie" banner. The Donruss card carries a "Rated Rookie" logo. The Topps Traded card has a "T" in the number on the back.
- Tilt the back under a lamp. Genuine 1989 Upper Deck cards have a small hologram on the back. On a real card it shows depth and shifting rainbow color as you tilt it. A flat, dull or sticker-like hologram, or one that looks printed rather than embedded, is a strong sign of a counterfeit.
- Compare the photo quality. Genuine Upper Deck fronts have sharp, natural photography on bright white stock. Counterfeits often look slightly blurry, with muddy colors, a faint dot pattern under magnification, or a cardboard tone that is grey or cream instead of white.
- Measure centering. Compare the white border on the left and right, then top and bottom. On this card, centering is the most common reason it misses a high grade.
- Check the corners, edges and surface. Look at all four corners straight on, run your eye along each edge for chips, and tilt the front under a lamp for print lines, scratches, dents or a crease.
- Look up sold prices for the right grade. Use eBay sold listings, 130point or PSA's auction prices, and match the grade or realistic condition. The PSA 10 price does not apply to a raw card from a shoebox.
1989 Upper Deck Griffey #1 by grade
| Condition or grade | Approximate value |
|---|---|
| Raw, played (soft corners, creases) | $8-20 |
| Raw, typical shoebox or binder copy | $20-60 |
| PSA 7 to 8 | $40-90 |
| PSA 9 | $80-200 |
| PSA 10 | $500-2,500 |
| BGS 9.5 | Similar to or slightly below PSA 10 |
| BGS 10 or BGS Black Label | Several times a PSA 10 |
| Counterfeit | No collector value |
These ranges are wide on purpose. The PSA 10 price in particular has moved a lot since 2020 with the wider card market, and tens of thousands of copies have been graded. Because supply in every grade is large, a raw card only sells well when it looks like a strong grading candidate. The old baseball cards guide explains why cards from the late 1980s were printed in such numbers.
The other 1989 Griffey rookies
| Card | How to recognize it | Raw | PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 Bowman #220 | Taller Bowman size, Bowman logo | $3-10 | $100-300 |
| 1989 Bowman Tiffany #220 | Same card, glossy white back, small print run | $100-300 | $1,000-3,000 |
| 1989 Donruss #33 Rated Rookie | "Rated Rookie" logo on front | $3-10 | $80-250 |
| 1989 Fleer #548 | Fleer logo, grey striped design | $3-10 | $80-250 |
| 1989 Fleer Glossy #548 | Glossy front, from factory tin sets | $20-80 | $300-1,000 |
| 1989 Topps Traded #41T | "T" after the number, from the boxed Traded set | $5-15 | $100-300 |
| 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany #41T | Glossy front, white back | $100-300 | $800-2,500 |
| 1989 Score Rookie and Traded #100T | Score logo, boxed set | $3-10 | $60-200 |
| 1987 and 1988 minor league cards | Team sets such as Bellingham Mariners or San Bernardino Spirit | $10-100 | higher, varies widely |
The Tiffany and glossy parallels are the ones collectors chase, because they were made in a small fraction of the regular print run. They are told apart by their glossy front and bright white back; regular Topps and Bowman cards of 1989 have duller, uncoated cardboard backs. Minor league cards are not rookie cards in the strict sense, and they are counterfeited too.
Why the Upper Deck card became the icon
Upper Deck launched in 1989 as a premium brand with white stock, full color photos on both sides and an anti-counterfeiting hologram on every back. Griffey was the most exciting prospect in the game, and the company made him card number 1. He went on to a Hall of Fame career with 630 home runs, which kept demand high. The card became the symbol of the late 1980s card boom, when sets were printed in enormous quantities and many people saved cards as an investment. That combination of fame and supply explains why it is famous and still affordable in ordinary condition.
The same logic applies to other stars of that era. For comparison with earlier rookies printed in far smaller numbers, see what a Wayne Gretzky rookie card is worth and the Michael Jordan rookie card guide.
Counterfeits and the hologram
Counterfeit 1989 Upper Deck Griffeys circulated widely in the early 1990s and still turn up in collections, often in the same box as genuine cards bought at shows. The signs to check side by side with a known genuine Upper Deck card from the same year:
- Hologram: genuine ones change color and show depth; fakes are flat, dull, too dark, or slightly raised like a sticker.
- Stock: genuine cards are bright white and fairly stiff; fakes are often thinner, greyer or glossier.
- Print: genuine photos are sharp; under a loupe fakes show a coarse dot pattern, fuzzy lettering or slightly off colors.
- Edges: fakes sometimes have rougher cuts or rounded corners from a different cutting process.
Trimmed cards are the other problem. A card cut down to sharpen corners or improve centering will be measurably smaller than 2.5 by 3.5 inches, and graders reject it.
Condition and centering
| Flaw | Effect |
|---|---|
| Centering worse than about 60/40 | Usually rules out PSA 10 |
| Centering worse than about 70/30 | Usually rules out PSA 9 |
| One soft corner | Usually a PSA 7 to 8 at best |
| Print line, dent or scratch on the front | Often a PSA 8 or lower |
| Any crease | PSA 5 or lower, raw value $5-15 |
A worked example
Say a shoebox from 1989 holds an Upper Deck Griffey with "Star Rookie" on the front and the number 1 on the back. Tilted under a desk lamp, the hologram on the back flashes rainbow color and seems to have depth, and the card stock matches the bright white of other 1989 Upper Deck cards in the box. That points to a genuine card.
Condition: the left border is about twice the width of the right, so centering is roughly 65/35. Three corners are sharp, one has a faint touch of wear. The surface is clean. That is a realistic PSA 8 candidate, and possibly a 7, but not a 9 or 10 because of the centering alone.
Value: raw as it sits, about $25-50. A PSA 8 sells for roughly $40-90, so after a grading fee of around $25 and shipping, grading would add little or nothing. The honest move is to sell it raw with clear photos, or keep it. A copy from the same box with even borders and four sharp corners would be a different decision, since the gap between raw and PSA 9 or 10 covers the fee comfortably.
Common mistakes
- Reading the PSA 10 price for a raw card. A raw shoebox copy sells for a small fraction of that.
- Assuming a Griffey is rare because it is a rookie card. It is one of the most produced rookie cards ever.
- Mixing up the regular Bowman or Topps Traded card with the Tiffany version, or the reverse.
- Ignoring the hologram. It is the quickest counterfeit check on the Upper Deck card.
- Sending an off center copy for grading. The fee is often more than the grade adds.
- Pricing from asking prices. Many listings sit for months at numbers that never sell.
What to photograph
- The full front, flat, out of any holder, in even light without glare.
- The full back, with the card number and hologram visible.
- A tilted close-up of the hologram, so the color shift shows.
- Close-ups of all four corners.
- The card beside a ruler, if there is any doubt about trimming.
When to get it looked at in person
Grading is worth it when a 1989 Upper Deck Griffey looks like a realistic PSA 9 or 10: centered close to evenly, four sharp corners, clean edges and no surface marks. PSA, SGC and BGS all grade it. Standard bulk and value tiers run roughly $20-75 per card, plus shipping and insurance, with turnaround from a few weeks to a few months. At a likely PSA 8 or below, grading costs about as much as the card is worth. Grading is also worth it for any Tiffany or glossy parallel, because buyers expect them in a holder.
A local card shop can check the hologram and give an opinion on condition in a few minutes, and typically offers 50-70 percent of market value.