1989 Upper Deck Baseball

Manufacturer: Upper Deck
Set Size: 800 Cards
Card Size: 2-1/2” x 3-1/2”

Set Notes: The 1989 Upper Deck baseball card set is one for the record books. This set is one that changed the baseball card industry in many ways. First Upper Deck used thick glossy stock virtually unseen before this time. Collectors saw the now famous Upper Deck anti-counterfeiting holograms for the first time. The massive print runs for this and other sets of this time period brought new meaning the “Junk wax” era. 1989 Upper Deck features one of the most coveted and most graded rookie cards of all time, the Ken Griffey Jr. Star rookie card #1. This card is one of the most beloved chase cards still to this day.

Key Rookies From 1989 Upper Deck:   |  1 – Ken Griffey Jr.  |  13 – Gary Sheffield  |  25 – Randy Johnson

Pricing chart includes raw card price & some graded card value estimates.
These values are collated from a variety of resources including recently sold listings, sales averages and a variety of other sports card pricing data sources. Please see full disclaimer on “Terms Page” for more information.
(Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)

DISCLAIMER: This data is not intended as financial advice and should not be used as such. Please do your own research before making any investment or selling/buying decisions.

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1989 Upper Deck Rookie Card Prices

Overview of 1989 Upper Deck Baseball Cards

The 1989 Upper Deck baseball card set is a landmark in the history of sports card collecting, largely credited with ushering in the modern era of premium cards. Prior to its release, the baseball card market was dominated by a few major players (Topps, Donruss, and Fleer) that produced cards with relatively simple designs and lower-quality card stock. Upper Deck changed the game by introducing a product that was a significant step up in quality and security.

Key Features of the 1989 Upper Deck Set

Premium Quality: The cards were printed on a thick, glossy card stock with high-quality, full-bleed photography. This gave them a look and feel that was a cut above the competition.

Security Hologram: To combat counterfeiting, which was a growing concern in the late 1980s, each card featured a small, silver hologram on the back. This was a revolutionary feature at the time and became a signature element of Upper Deck cards.

Price: The improved quality came at a higher price point. At 99 cents per pack, they were more expensive than other brands, positioning Upper Deck as a premium product.

Key Rookie Cards: While the set is highly regarded as a whole, a few key rookie cards are particularly significant:

• Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card (#1): This is arguably the most iconic baseball card of the “Junk Wax” era. As card #1 in the inaugural set, it features “The Kid” before he played a single major league game. Its value has fluctuated over the years, but a pristine, graded copy (PSA 10) can still command a high price. The card’s popularity is so great that it is a foundational piece for many collectors.
• Randy Johnson Rookie Card (#25): “The Big Unit” rookie card is another highly sought-after card in the set, and a graded version can also be quite valuable.
• John Smoltz Rookie Card (#17): This card features a young John Smoltz, who would go on to have a Hall of Fame career as both a starter and a closer.
• Craig Biggio Rookie Card (#273): Another Hall of Famer, Biggio’s rookie card is a key part of the set, though it doesn’t carry the same value as Griffey’s or Johnson’s.

Notable Error Cards: The 1989 Upper Deck set is also known for a number of error cards, some of which are highly prized by collectors.
(Rookiecardprices.com only shows values for regular base set cards. No prices are shown for errors, parallels, subsets, misprints or other cards unless noted.)

Dale Murphy Reverse Negative Error (#357): This is one of the most famous error cards from the set. In a limited number of cards, the image of Dale Murphy was printed as a reverse negative (horizontally flipped). Upper Deck reportedly corrected this error early in the print run, making the error cards rarer and more valuable.

Gary Sheffield Upside-Down “SS” Error (#13): A less common but still desirable error card features Gary Sheffield with his “SS” (shortstop) position designation printed upside down.

The 1989 Upper Deck set’s impact on the hobby was immense. It raised the bar for quality and production standards, forcing other card manufacturers to follow suit and innovate. This shift in the market led to a boom in the card collecting hobby throughout the early 1990s. While many cards from this era are considered “junk wax” due to overproduction, the 1989 Upper Deck set remains a classic, celebrated for its design, innovation, and iconic rookie cards.

Popular Rookies From 1989 Upper Deck Baseball