Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card and Minor League Card Guide
The thrill of pulling a Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card was one of the defining moments for a generation of collectors. He’s a genuine icon, sitting in the top tier of baseball’s legends and influencers. His rise to fame also came at a time when the hobby was hitting its mainstream high.
It starts with the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card, which remains a part of ’80s pop culture. But that’s not the only one. In fact, it’s far from it.
The number of Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Cards isn’t all that big. But when you add in the various box sets, premium offerings and food-issue cards, there’s not shortage of choices.
Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card: Investment Opportunity?
Once upon a time, a Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card seemed like a viable investment opportunity. But something happened along the way. While the industry of sports card collecting rose to new heights in the late 1980s and early part of the ’90s, a lot was based on speculation. Lots of people entered the hobby thinking it was easy money. And with more people buying more packs, production numbers ballooned.
As popular as Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Cards are, they’re not immune to the basic laws of supply and demand. Other than a few exceptions, most of Junior’s early cards sell for a fraction of what they once did. If you set a stack aside for your child’s education, you’ve probably already realized this. Sadly, don’t expect to pull them out in another 25 years to help you out with retirement either.
See Also: 24 Ken Griffey Jr. Cards That Remind Us Why We Love Him
In top condition, and certified as such, select Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Cards can still bring in solid numbers. Most, though, are best enjoyed for what they are rather than what they’re worth — early cards of a generational talent that sparked the imagination of many and gave baseball one its most exciting role models.
The big exception is in top-condition graded versions of his key cards like 1989 Upper Deck and 1989 Topps Tiffany. As more collectors come to recognize just how iconic Griffey was and they look to reconnect with the cards they used to chase, these have grown exponentially. It’s the idea of “the best of the best” where there can never be enough.
Most Valuable Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Cards and Early Releases
The following list highlights the most valuable 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. cards. Rankings are based on the Beckett Baseball online price guide.
1. 1989 Topps Heads Up Ken Griffey Jr. #5
2. 1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. #220
3. 1989 Fleer Glossy Ken Griffey Jr. #548
4. 1989 Topps Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. #41T
5. 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. #1 RC
Below is a detailed look at every Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card. But we don’t stop there. We also delve into some of his other 1989 releases that might not be quite as well known.
Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card Guide and Other Early Cards
1989 Bowman Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card #220
Part of the first set of Bowman cards in more than 30 years, Topps brought it back with slightly larger dimensions. This would be the only year they did this. Easily the cornerstone of the set, it’s still not expensive due to massive availability. Released at a time when the hobby was hitting its peak, there’s still tons of these out there lurking in packs and boxes, not to mention the singles market. That’s a common trait among virtually every Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card.
Buy:
1989 Bowman Ken Griffey Jr./Ken Griffey Sr. #259
And to think, that box was considered a modern style TV set at the time. Besides the regular Ken Griffey Jr. card, 1989 Bowman Baseball has a separate card picturing the young outfielder with his famous father. It’s one of four cards in the set that highlight MLB-playing fathers and sons. The Ripkens, Stottlemyres and Alomars are also included in the subset.
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1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. #220
Like their regular sets from the era, Topps released a special edition 1989 Bowman Tiffany factory set. These are highlighted by a glossy card stock that’s easy to feel. Card backs on the Tiffany cards are also much brighter. While the print run of 6,000 may seem like a large number by today’s standards, it is tiny for the era in which it was made. Not surprisingly, this is one of the most valuable Ken Griffey Jr. cards released during his rookie season.
Buy:
1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr./Ken Griffey Sr. #259
The same slightly upscale and limited print run applies for the entire 1989 Bowman Tiffany set, including the subset cards. Still more expensive than either of the regular 1989 Bowman Ken Griffey Jr. cards, it’s much cheaper than Griffey’s solo Tiffany card.
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1989 Classic Travel Orange Ken Griffey Jr. #131
Classic made a couple of different Ken Griffey Jr. cards in 1989. The 1989 Classic Travel Orange came as part of a factory set that came in a blister pack. It’s speculated that 150,000 of these sets were made, which helps to further illustrate how scarce the 1989 Bowman Tiffany Griffeys are.
Buy:
1989 Classic Travel Purple Ken Griffey Jr. #193
The second “Travel Update” set from Classic in 1989, this Griffey also came in a blister pack set. Like the earlier Orange card, it’s off the radar of a lot of collectors. As a brand, Classic was never quite in the oddball territory for cards but it wasn’t exactly mainstream either. That said, with so much out there that’s easy and affordable, it doesn’t take much to go a step further with these Ken Griffey Jr. cards.
Buy:
1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card #33
Let’s be honest. While Junior has a smile made for baseball cards, you have to capture that smile. The 1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card joins Fleer, Bowman and Upper Deck as being his only mainstream pack-inserted RCs, but it’s all kinds of drab. The dark borders do no favors to the shadowed, smile-less photo. They also make the card susceptible to corner and edge damage. However, with the sheer number of copies that are out there, it’s still cheaper than it has been in years.
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1989 Donruss Baseball’s Best Ken Griffey Jr. #192
1989 Donruss Baseball’s Best looks a lot like the brand’s regular set. However, it was sold as a box set at retail stores. As far as visuals go, Griffey looks a little more at home batting as opposed to his posed Rated Rookie card. While not as common as the main set, it’s still far from rare.
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1989 Donruss The Rookies Ken Griffey Jr. #3
Donruss didn’t stop there with their 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. cards. He was also a part of the 1989 Donruss The Rookies set, the company’s version of Topps Traded. With Griffey in the flagship release, this isn’t considered to be a Rookie Card.
Buy:
1989 Fleer Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card #548
This might be the only 1989 set with a Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card where it’s not the most talked about card. We can thank Billy Ripken’s bat for that. As far as Rookie Cards go, this one is plain except for the fact of who’s on it. It’s not expensive or hard to find either.
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1989 Fleer Glossy Ken Griffey Jr. #548
Topps wasn’t the only company to offer slightly slicker versions of their base cards in the form of a premium factory set. Fleer did the same in 1989, as they had for the previous few years. Visually, the 1989 Fleer Glossy Ken Griffey Jr. is the same as his main card. But to touch it, the Glossy version has the added sheen. The scarcest of the Fleer Glossy baseball sets, it’s still estimated that about 30,000 were produced. Making things tougher for those looking for top-condition cards is the fact that the Griffey is often found with rough centering.
Buy:
1989 Mother’s Ken Griffey Jr.
Food-issue sets were still common in 1989. That comes into play here with a set of four Ken Griffey Jr. cards that were included in specially marked boxes of Mother’s Cookies for a limited time. The photos, which were shot by Barry Colla, show tons of personality and make for a fun oddball release. Because it’s believed to be slightly short printed, card #2 — the one where he’s holding a ball — might cost a little more.
Buy:
1989 Mariners Mother’s Ken Griffey Jr. #3
Mother’s produced a fifth Ken Griffey Jr. card in 1989. Not to be confused with the four-card set dedicated to the rookie, this one was given out as part of a stadium-issue team set.
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1989 Pacific Griffey Candy Bar Ken Griffey Jr. (blue, yellow and white backgrounds)
Designed to promote a Ken Griffey Jr. chocolate bar, Pacific’s first cards of the Hall of Famer come in three different versions. The only different between them is the background color: white, yellow and blue. In a bit of irony, Griffey is actually allergic to chocolate.
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1989 Score Rookie/Traded Ken Griffey Jr. #100T
After failing to include him in their main release, Ken Griffey Jr. was included on the 1989 Score Rookie/Traded checklist. Like Topps Traded and Donruss The Rookies, it came as part of a box set. This particular card is one of the few from a major manufacturer to show Junior in action in 1989. That makes it stand out a little more than its value.
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1989 Score Young Superstars II Ken Griffey Jr. #18
In its early years, Score had plenty of little side sets. Case in point, 1989 Score Young Superstars II, which has just 42 cards. Ken Griffey Jr. and his beautiful swing are the highlights on the checklist.
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1989 Scoremasters Ken Griffey Jr. #30
Those box sets didn’t stop there. 1989 Scoremasters, which is a Score release, was available through a mail-in offer as well as hobby shops. The artistic look and colorful backgrounds have a definite Peter Max vibe to them.
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1989 Star Ken Griffey Jr. (11-card set)
Like they did with a lot of players over the years, Star produced a small set dedicated to then-rookie Ken Griffey Jr. in 1989. Sold as a bagged set, the 1989 Star Ken Griffey Jr. set has 11 cards. Most feature action shots. Taken together, the backs form a short biography of sorts for the soon-to-be superstar.
Buy:
1989 Topps Heads Up Ken Griffey Jr. #5
For most, this is the Holy Grail of early Ken Griffey Jr. items. Issued in very small numbers as a test issue, it’s not really a baseball card in the traditional sense. Rather, it’s a die-cut floating head of sorts you can sticker to a locker, window or wall. A year later, Topps gave Heads Up a full release that is much more common. You can tell the 1989 Topps Heads Up Ken Griffey Jr. by checking the copyright year on the back. Otherwise the 1990 version looks the same.
When a 1989 Topps Heads Up Ken Griffey Jr. comes up for sale, they don’t go cheap. Unlike the majority of his Rookie Cards (without taking professional grading into account), sales are in the hundreds.
Buy:
1989 Topps Traded Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card #41T
You’ve heard the story before — there are lots of these out in the wild. Lots. While that’s hurt values to a certain extent, that’s about all it hurts. The 1989 Topps Traded Ken Griffey Jr. is one of his most attractive early cards. Issued as part of the annual box set, it’s still easy to find.
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1989 Topps Traded Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. #41T
Like Bowman Tiffany, the 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. is a little nicer that its regular counterpart. That means a glossy front and a back that’s a little more crisp. As far as print runs go, it’s believed about 15,000 sets were produced. While that’s more than double that of the Bowman Tiffany set, it’s still a fraction of what most of Griffey’s other cards are.
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1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card #1
The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. transcends baseball cards. It’s a legitimate piece of pop culture history and easily Griffey’s most recognizable card. How much so? Well, a middle-aged Junior recreated the look the best he could 25-years-later for a Macklemore music video.
The card helped launch Upper Deck in their debut set and, over the course of Griffey’s career, the momentum continued to build. While graded copies at the top of the scale can still bring in significant values, the card has suffered from a large supply. It’s a common story from the era. Everyone started buying cards thinking they could get rich off of them 30 or 40 years down the road. That led to massive print runs that today’s market simply can’t handle.
But don’t let that take away from the beauty and importance of the infectious smile captured on the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card, a true hobby classic.
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Ken Griffey Jr. Minor League Cards
Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Cards came out in 1989. However, if you’re looking for the first Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards — period — you have to go back a couple of years to his time in the minors.
The number of Ken Griffey Jr. minor league cards isn’t big but they do offer an extension beyond traditional rookies, covering a time when “The Kid” really was still a kid.
1987 Bellingham Mariners Team Issue Ken Griffey Jr. #15
The Ken Griffey Jr. baseball card journey starts with this quaint team set. Griffey is part of a 34-card checklist covering Seattle’s Single-A team at the time. Like most minor league cards, it’s simple in its aesthetics and doesn’t draw much attention to itself other than the player on the front. A total of 15,000 team sets were made.
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1988 California League All-Stars Cal League Ken Griffey Jr. #26
Griffey is one of 50 prospects in the 1988 California League All-Stars set. There’s a big drop off in star power after Griffey, though. The likes of Paul Blair, Gil Heredia and Ricky Bones are among the set’s second tier.
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1988 San Bernadino Spirit Best Ken Griffey Jr. #1
Griffey is the obvious standout in this minor league team set from Best. Channeling 1986 Topps Baseball with its design, a reported 5,000 sets were made making this card relatively hard to find.
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1988 San Bernadino Spirit Best Platinum Ken Griffey Jr. #1
As far as rarity goes, this is the toughest Ken Griffey Jr. minor league card to find. And for good reason. Just 1,300 Platinum sets were made, less than a third of the standard, blue-bordered version of the set.
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1988 San Bernadino Spirit Cal League Ken Griffey Jr. #34
Ken Griffey Jr. has a lot of attractive baseball cards. This isn’t one of them. The Single-A team set has a print run of 10,000 sets.
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1988 Vermont Mariners ProCards Ken Griffey Jr.
The regular 1988 Vermont Mariners team set from ProCards has a silver border. This Griffey does not. It was released separately as a late-issue promo. Being off-center is the norm for this card, which has been subject to counterfeiting. So if you come across a raw copy that’s dead center, take it as a warning flag that it might be a fake.
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When talking about the 1989 Fleer Ken Griffey Jr. RC #548, I assume you mean it’s NOT the most talked about card. Other than that, flawless article, Ryan!
Great read. Don’t be afraid to go more in-depth in the subject?
Quick question. I can’t find anything online on this but I found a 1990 Ken Griffey Jr. Topps all star rookie card but the back where the stats would be is completely missing only a black piece of unprinted cardboard. My original thought was that it was a misprint but I can not find anything on this subject though in all the other cards online show a regular back to it.
Thanks
Ryan M, The 90 Topps is cut out from the top of the wax box that the card packs came in.
Ken Griffey Jr topps #46 rookie- miscut on back of card-you can see his stats but not full bio
hi-trying to see about this- is it worth anything?
@Todd Misprints like what you’ve described don’t generally generate a lot of interest. There can be exceptions, but not too much with mis-cuts.
I’ve seen 2 variations of the 89 Upper Deck Griffeys. 1 with a purple hat and 1 with a purple hat and border where the green is supposed to be. I’ve been looking for another purple bordered Griffey since 1990 and haven’t had any luck. Could you possibly tell me something about these rarities
Can you tell me what is the value of ken griffeys baseball cards #18,#101,#110,#140 & #591. I would appreciate any help you can give me.
THANK YOU
@Therena – Price guide access and subscription info can be found here: https://www.beckett.com/price-guides/baseball
i found a huge card collection when we tore down a house for the state of iowa..there was 8 to 10 totes there are two shoe boxes filled with nothing Ken Griffy Jr cards almost everone of them are in plastic holders there is also a huge Micheal Jorden collection binders full of his stull as well..how do i sale it all my email is kenny.petty@yahoo.com.any help please.and god bless ..thanks
Attic find..purchased house at auction.
Book of Ken Griffey jr. Cards some rookies I did see.. boxes of cereal bobble heads cans of unopened cards action figures still in boxes Ken Griffey jr…other ball players as well.
Also box after box after BOX of cards mostly baseball I seen some football some basketball. I want to sell!
what do you need to have for all of this? do you have any pictures?
Just wondering if Ken Griffey Jr 1998 Ultra fleer card #1 has any value?
@Char – The price guide can be accessed here (subscription required): https://www.beckett.com/price-guides/baseball
No mention of very rare Star Nova or more rare Diamond set.
I have 2 Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball cards – #19 & #24. What are they worth
I have a team metal card of Ken Griffey Jr. There is a 4 in upper left hand corner on back of card is it worth anything???
I have an album full of junior cards. 99% of which are not mentioned here. I collect him because he is my all time favorite player, but is there any super rare cards of his worth anything?? Just curious if I have any of them.
@William – The price guide can be accessed here (subscription required): https://www.beckett.com/opg
Can you look up all baseball cards and players on that website?
@Christian – If you go to Beckett.com, you can type in any set name or player in the search bar at the top and see what’s cataloged.
I have been seeing a few of the Upper Deck Ken Griffey JR #1 rookie cards, but in Black and White and being portrayed as a rare error test run. Kind of reminded me of the alleged Will Clark 85 Olympic Cards which were just fakes printed up by someone taking advantage of the situation. Any thoughts?
@Harvey – Sounds like homemade things and definitely not official.
I have a Ken Griffey Junior card but it’s from the M’s 1991. I cannot find anything online about this card. The only number on the back is 91-37 pease advise.
How much is a 1989 Bowman gum #220 Ken Griffey Jr card worth
The price guide can be accessed with the link in the top menu of this page.
I have some Star “promo” cards from his early days. They have a yellow background on front but the back is blank. Any ideas on value? Rarity?
The price guide can be accessed in the link in the top menu of this page.
Thanks for the article I have pretty much all of his 89 rookies cards but they are not for sell. I have had them put up for the past 30 years I will take a look at them time after time. I am a collector I have some other cards I am going to send out to get graded I am thinking about sending some of Jr cards to get graded there not Worth much raw they are for my grandbabies when they get older thanks for the article.
Score 1990 1989 3 rising star rookie Ken Griffey jr card?
Hi Ryan:
Have you ever seen an error version of the 1988 San Bernardino Spirit Best Platinum Ken Griffey Jr. #1 cards in which the word SPIRIT near Griffey’s chest is printed in white, not blue? If so, is this error version of the card worth more than the regular Platinum version? I have the error version slabbed in a PSA 9 holder. I have never seen mention of this card with SPIRIT in white. Thanks for any insight you can offer.
Larry Cohen
Off the top of my head, I am not familiar with the error.
I have a set of five Ken Griffey Junior cards from the 90s I bought them from a local card store the guy said they were one of a kind and I can’t find anything on it and I think they are one of a kind they’re a set of five cards with his three minor league totals and then a major league total it says year club
I have a Ken Griffey jr#192 it’s got a white line on the front? going up off the card .? it’s original I assure you! But Iv read somewhere on the internet ..awhile back that a guy had another one or 2 & was was saying it was a flaw in the printer?are you familiar
I havea 1991 Score Ken Griffey Jr., but with Bryan Harvey’s picture and details on back. Ever hear of this? I’ve seen nothing online. Just curious! Thanks for the help!
It’s a printing error. This article might help: https://www.beckett.com/news/sports-card-printing-errors/
1989 Bowman Ken Griffey Jr./Ken Griffey Sr. #259
Beckett shouldn’t get this wrong. This isn’t a Ken Griffey Jr card. It can’t be considered a Ken Griffey Jr rookie card. This card graded shows it’s a 1989 Cincinnati Reds Ken Griffey card. Like it shows in the back. It’s a Ken Griffey card with his son during his rookie year. Very cool card but that in no way makes it a Griffey Jr rookie card. It has to an actual Ken Griffey Jr card to be considered a true rookie card.
It doesn’t say that it is. The article covers all of his 1989 cards, Rookie Cards and others. His Rookie Cards are clearly labelled as such.
Just curious what the general consensus is on the Star Company printings of Griffey rookies from 1988 and 1989… They are licensed and often sold as sets. Sales for them are all over the board. Thoughts? Feelings? Are these Star sets collectible, and considered a part of his rookie checklist? I’m primarily referring to the Star Silver set from 1988 (print run of 2000), and the white and yellow backed sets from 1989. There is also the promotional limited edition print runs and ad cards. They are being slabbed and sold but there is minimal information. I know of a 1988 white bordered glossy card that reports only 40 being made (checked PSA and SGC), and a 1988 black border promo card with a print run of 400 (marked on the back). For 1989, there are several (purple, yellow, blue). Not to mention the same thing was done with a “Nova” line of Griffey cards. The rabbit hole goes pretty deep on these runs. Just curious if the collecting community disregards them due to the amount of variants, or if there are so many fakes that they can’t be counted. Any information, opinions, suggestions, or ideas on these cards is appreciated. I’m trying to put together a collection of EVERY Griffey rookie and pre-rookie card and this part (and the cards and sets I mentioned) are becoming the most challenging part of forming this collection.