The best Ken Griffey Jr. cards to collect: From rookie cards to a Nintendo promo
Advertisement
So aside from that one, what are the best options when it comes to the vast selection of Ken Griffey Jr. cards? Here's what we like.
(full recommendations below)
1989 Upper Deck Star Rookies #1 rookie card
Griffey's 1989 Upper Deck #1 Star Rookie is my top pick because of its iconic status in the sports card hobby. It's one of the most recognizable and celebrated baseball cards all time. Its reasonable price and robust demand among collectors, which offsets its high population, make it the standout choice. Already have that one? Read on for more options.
The value of sports cards can fluctuate for various reasons such as condition, print runs, or graded population. Other factors that can cause prices to go up or down include player performance, market trends, and health of the wider economy. The secondary sales market for individual cards of a given sport generally hits its lowest point during the offseason (in other words, you can usually find better prices in the offseason than during the season). My recommendations are not an attempt to promote specific investment behavior or trading advice, but to guide and inform readers about popular and unique cards that are celebrated by the sports card community.
Ultimately, the best cards to collect are always the ones you will enjoy regardless of whether they go up or down in value. The recommendations below should serve as a starting point for cards to consider, but a big part of the fun in collecting is the hunt for the cards you like the most.
Cards can come out of the pack (their 'raw' state) with a wide variety of imperfections that can impact their value. Card grading is a process in a which an expert of the field determines the condition of a card based on a number of factors (including corner sharpness, image centering, print imperfections, and more) and assigns a numerical grade, usually on a scale of 1-10 (with the latter being close to perfect) and sealed in a protective case. There are a number of grading companies, each with their own unique grading scales, but PSA is by far the largest and most prominent in the industry. Cards graded a 'PSA 10' can carry a significant value multiplier compared to raw cards or those graded by other companies.
Advertisement
It's fine (and often cheaper) to buy cards raw, but if you want to ensure authenticity and/or a minimum condition level and you're not experienced at determining card condition for yourself, you may want to buy a graded card instead — particularly if you're buying online and only able to see the card in photographs.
This is a category for collectors who are on a tighter budget or aren't as concerned about the long-term monetary value of the cards they buy.
1989 Topps Traded #41T rookie card
Among the dozens of rookie cards produced of the top pick in the 1987 MLB Draft, Griffey's 1989 Topps Traded #41T is one of his most recognizable and accessible to purchase, even in high grades.
According to Gemrate, his debut Topps card has produced more PSA 10 graded examples (over 14,000) than any other Griffey rookie card. As a result, the widely available 1989 Topps Traded rookie in a PSA Gem Mint 10 grade has frequent sales in the $125 range. Collectors can also purchase raw or mint graded examples on eBay for less than $25.
In 1981, Topps introduced its 'traded' sets that featured new players and rookie cards that were not included in the flagship release from the same season. In 2010, Topps renamed the release to what modern collectors know today as Topps Update Series. Some of baseball's biggest current stars have sought-after Topps Update rookie cards, including Mike Trout, Juan Soto, and Freddie Freeman.
The long-term value of this card won't do much to boost your retirement fund, but the fact that it's his first Topps rookie card makes it highly collectible.
1996 Select #6
This card can be had for only a dollar or two ungraded, but it captures one of the most memorable moments of Griffey's career — when he scored the winning run to beat the New York Yankees in the 1995 ALDS. It was a historic victory for the Seattle Mariners, and a personally meaningful one for Griffey, as he has held a grudge against the Yankees since childhood. It can be argued that no human being has ever been happier than Griffey was at the bottom of that celebratory pile in 1995, and his 1996 Select card features that wonderful image, making it a must have for any Griffey collector.
More expensive parallels or variations: Artist's Proof
This is a category for collectors looking to pay a bit more for cards that have some degree of scarcity and have a better chance at retaining or increasing in value long-term.
1989 Fleer #548 rookie card
Fleer is largely credited for reviving the basketball card industry in the 1980s, but the company also made some memorable baseball cards during that time, including Griffey's 1989 Fleer rookie card.
The front of the card features Griffey looking like a little leaguer who was just told there won't be a team trip to Pizza Hut after the game. At around 50 cents per pack upon release, collectors had a chance to pull rookie cards of Griffey, Randy Johnson, John Smoltz, and Craig Biggio — just to name a few hall of famers. But the card that made the most headlines from this set is undoubtedly Billy Ripken's 'F— Face' error card.
Advertisement
The current demand for Griffey's 1989 Fleer card in a PSA 10 grade has it selling almost daily for around $150-$180. PSA 9 or mint copies can be purchased for under $20 because of how common they are.
It's an affordable option and nostalgic to collectors who grew up during the junk wax era.
1989 Upper Deck Star Rookies #1 rookie card
Upper Deck's presence in the sports card industry was felt right off the bat when they debuted their first baseball set in 1989, featuring Griffey's iconic rookie card. The high-quality photography and glossy paper stock used to create the set were considered groundbreaking at the time and it was one of the first premium baseball card sets ever released.
The legendary photo used for Griffey's Upper Deck rookie card was taken before his MLB debut, while he was playing for the San Bernardino Spirit, the Mariners' Single-A affiliate. However, Upper Deck digitally replaced the Spirit's logo on his hat with a Mariners one.
PSA has graded over 100,000 examples of this card, and around 4,300 have received a Gem Mint 10 grade. Its legacy has made it the most graded Griffey card by PSA and one of the most graded modern baseball cards ever.
Despite the card's massive print run and plentiful graded copies, PSA 10s currently command prices around $3,000, which marks a nearly 57 percent price increase over the last two years. However, PSA 9 example can be obtained at a more budget-friendly price of around $200. Yet even with a staggering PSA population of more than 33,000, PSA 9 graded examples of the card have still risen in value by about 20 percent over the last two years.
Griffey's 1989 Upper Deck Star Rookie #1 is the iconic baseball card of the 1980s and is cherished by casual fans and hardcore collectors alike.
1989 Donruss Rated Rookie #33 rookie card
While Griffey has several well-known rookie cards from 1989, his Donruss one stands out with its classic 'Rated Rookie' logo. Donruss' launch of the Rated Rookie in baseball card sets in 1984 contributed to the surge in rookie card collecting during the era.
Unlike most of Griffey's rookie cards from other sets, the black and purple bordered design of his Donruss Rated Rookie card is highly susceptible to chipped edges and dinged corners. As a result, even though nearly 50,000 examples of the card have been graded by PSA, its condition-sensitive qualities have resulted in fewer than 2,300 PSA 10s.
The relative scarcity of PSA 10s, combined with Griffey's status in the hobby has recent sales in the $500 ballpark. Less than a decade ago, the same card and grade could be purchased for less than $100.
This is a category for collectors looking to acquire the most desired Griffey Jr. cards on the market.
1989 Bowman Tiffany #220 rookie card
In search of the rarest and most valuable Griffey rookie card? Look no further than his 1989 Bowman Tiffany #220.
'Tiffany' cards were limited edition box sets issued by Topps starting in 1984. They featured high-quality card stock and a glossy finish that mimicked the design of Topps and Bowman's flagship sets released earlier in the year. Tiffany was considered a premium product at the time compared to overprinted standard sets like Topps and Bowman flagship offerings, which were widely available to collectors.
Advertisement
Bowman Tiffany cards were exclusively sold as factory-sealed complete sets and were not available in traditional packs or boxes. The format of its release and limited print run has caused high sales prices and demand for many Tiffany cards over time.
In 1989, Topps revived the Bowman brand and released its first baseball card set since the 1950s. The portrait-style, facsimile autograph, and white borders of Griffey's Bowman card are a tribute to the 1953 Bowman Color design. This included making the card size a quarter-inch larger than the standard size that most collectors are familiar with.
Griffey's 1989 Bowman Tiffany rookie card has less than 2,000 PSA graded copies with the less than 200 Gem Mint 10s selling for close to $10,000. (In contrast, there are around 32,000 PSA graded examples of his common 1989 Bowman and more than 2,500 PSA 10s.)
1989 Topps Traded Tiffany #41T rookie card
I've already touched on one of Griffey's Topps Traded rookie cards, but his most prized Topps Traded card from 1989 can be found in Topps Tiffany. Unlike the standard Topps Traded set, the Tiffany version has a glossy front to give the cards a premium feel.
The production of factory-sealed 1989 Topps Traded Tiffany sets was limited to 15,000 and was only available through Topps hobby dealers. (For comparison, 1989 Bowman Tiffany had an estimated 6,000 sets produced, which is why it commands higher prices than his Topps Traded Tiffany.) The exclusivity of the set's release and its relatively low print run put Griffey's Topps Tiffany rookie card near the top of the list of his most valuable.
The card's total PSA population is slightly above 2,500 graded copies and it has less than 350 PSA 10s in existence, which will cost you a few thousand dollars to own. Mint and near mint graded examples aren't cheap either, selling on eBay between $300-$500.
1994 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr and Mickey Mantle autographed portrait
Next to Griffey's Upper Deck rookie card, this might be his most celebrated card in the hobby. In Series 1 of its 1994 release, Upper Deck inserted 1,000 examples of this artistic portrait signed just by Mantle, another 1,000 just signed by Griffey, and another 1,000 signed by both. Each of the three variations sells for thousands of dollars and it's easy to see why.
1987 Bellingham Mariners Team Issue #15
The first Griffey baseball card to land in the hands of collectors was produced in 1987, when he was a Minor League player for the Bellingham Mariners. The card was included in a 33-card, team-issued set for Seattle's Single-A affiliate.
The card shows a youthful Griffey fresh out of high school, posing in a fielder's position with a modest field behind him. Raw sales span from $50 to as high as $150, depending on the condition and how centered the borders are. Unopened team sets can also be found on eBay in the $150 to $200 range.
Advertisement
Although most collectors would prefer to own his rookie cards from his MLB debut year, this symbolizes the beginning of his journey to the big leagues and still commands a lot of attention from the secondary market. Not to mention, it's much rarer than his 1989 Upper Deck, Topps, Donruss, and Fleer cards.
2025 Topps Tribute #TTG-KG True To The Game Father/Son Dual Auto
I couldn't write this article without highlighting one card of baseball's favorite father-son duo, and Topps may have created their coolest card yet in the 2025 Topps Tribute release. Topps introduced the high-end baseball product in 2001, debuting the '1 Guaranteed Hit per Pack' (a 'hit' being more of a rare or valuable card, like an autograph or a relic) concept widely used for premium set releases in the hobby today.
The Griffey's 'True To The Game' dual autograph insert card has a horizontal design on thick card stock and shows a classic photo capturing the historic time when they became the first father-son duo to play together in a Major League game in 1990. The side-by-side image paired with blue ink on-card signatures creates a visually striking collectible that feels museum worthy.
The total number of Griffey Jr. and Sr. dual autographs produced for the set hasn't been confirmed by Topps, but at least two base autos (limited to 15) and one red parallel (limited to 10) have sold on eBay for over $1,500 each.
According to Topps, this marks the first dual autograph card of Griffey Sr. and Jr. depicting them as Mariners teammates.
More expensive parallels: Red (/10), Black (1/1)
1994 Super Nintendo promo card
In 1994, Nintendo released its Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball video game and packed in the box of the Super Nintendo version was a promotional Griffey trading card. Nintendo owned the Mariners at the time, so this card is a unique time capsule on several different levels. Ungraded examples of the card regularly sell for around $10 or $15, but PSA 10s can go for around $500. There are less than 100 PSA 10 examples graded to date because being packaged in a video game box didn't lend itself to preserving top condition.
Prices for a certain trading card can vary wildly and fluctuate quickly, making it important to check recent sales of a given card to make sure you're buying at a fair value. You can check recent sales of an item on eBay by selecting the 'sold items' filter on search results. You can also run a search on 130point.com, which is a free site that provides sales data from a number of online marketplaces. There are also several apps that provide more in-depth sales data, often charging subscription fees for full access.
Advertisement
To account for outliers, it's important to take multiple previous sales into account, not just the single most recent. It's also important to note the recency of those sales and any real-world factors that could affect changes in value.
As a second-generation collector, Tyler Holzhammer started collecting cards and attending the National Sports Collectors Convention at 10 years old. He's continued his passion as a collector into a career, providing sports card content and market analysis for companies like Sports Card Investor and Goldin Auctions. Tyler's sports card collection is centered around players from his favorite teams, the Los Angeles Rams and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Motor Trend
9 minutes ago
- Motor Trend
The Future Of Porsche's Racing Tech Transfer to Street Cars? Software.
On April 12, 2025, Porsche made history, becoming the first automaker to win three classes of professional motorsports with three different powertrains on the same day. In California, a 963 hybrid won the LMDh class and took the overall win at the IMSA Long Beach Grand Prix while a 911 GT3 R won the GTD Pro class in the same race with pure combustion engine. Across the country, the 99X Electric won the Miami e-prix in Formula E on pure battery power. Different as they may be, each shares a common link with the Porsche road cars you can buy today and in the future. Porsche uses motorsport to drive tech innovation, focusing on software as the key to improving road cars. Software impacts drivability and efficiency, with lessons from racing series shared across projects. This approach is cost-effective and enhances both performance and development. This summary was generated by AI using content from this MotorTrend article Read Next Racing Technology for the Street 'We have a philosophy that, yes, motorsport is part of our DNA,' Porsche vice president of motorsport, Thomas Laudenbach, told MotorTrend , 'and I cannot imagine Porsche without motorsport, but we are not doing motorsport for the sake of its own. We do motorsport to give a contribution to the company, and this is exactly what we are talking about.' In the past, tech transfer from racing to the road consisted mostly of more power and better aerodynamics, but as everything on a car has become linked and controlled by computers, the next frontier is in the software that controls them. Hard parts like engines, suspension, and aerodynamics are fairly mature technologies, but automotive software is still in its relative infancy. 'It is still a very steep curve,' Laudenbach said. 'It's growing so fast, it's changing so fast…I mean, if you look at the combustion engine, obviously development [today] is slower like this because you know, it is more and more difficult to make the [next] step. If you look at the software, not only software itself, how we approach it, the tools…I would say [it is] still very steep, the curve, how fast it changes.' It's All in the Software In all three racing series, physical parts on the cars are heavily regulated, particularly when it comes to batteries and electric motors. Software, though, isn't and has become the most important factor in improving lap times and efficiency. 'Everything you can do on the software has a much bigger impact and a much bigger effect in the drivability,' Porsche Formula E driver and reigning champion, Pascal Wehrlein, told MotorTrend , 'because yeah, there's also software things in in a combustion engine, but the effect is just smaller than an electric car. We pay a lot of attention to the software and I would say that is our biggest toolbox for setting up the car and getting quicker and so on. And there's just so many more things you can do on the software compared to a combustion engine. 'How much we are going into the details,' he continued, 'into the smallest details, I would say on the software side is even more than what I did when I was in Formula One, just because there are so many different options on, you know, the four-wheel drive, how to set up the four-wheel drive. How much work do you want to have at the front? At which point in time in the corner you want to have more front torque or less? What you can do on the braking side, on the [energy] recuperation, setting it up for different corners? In certain corners, where it's high speed, you need something different than in the low-speed corner, but then also when the track is bumpy, or not bumpy. We are going so much into the details.' Lauderbach agrees. 'It's absolutely right. We always love about talking about hardware. And I did develop combustion engines for 18 years, so I'm a real mechanical guy, and it's absolutely right, probably the bigger part is software. And but this is the good thing about it because some things [physical] we are not allowed to touch [under the regulations]. But we have a big freedom of software, and I think that's good because racing should give freedom where it is beneficial also for your brand. And that's certainly in software and I think this is probably also the biggest change between the projects.' Because the applications are so different, it's not as simple as just sharing code between teams in different series or with the engineers working on the road cars. Instead, it's the exchange of knowledge and ideas which brings this tech to cars like the 911 GTS T-hybrid. 'It's for sure not a carryover part,' Laudenbach said, 'but it's from learning about the difficulties, about the weak points, about the solutions, for sure they benefit from each other. 'When you have more than one project,' he said, 'you just work it on in a wider range and then you always find synergy. These two programs (Formula E and LMDh) benefit from each other in various areas. And at the same time, this is linked so close to our road car development. We work a lot on road cars as well in the motorsport department and do benefit from each other. If you tell your engineers, oh, please sit together with these guys from this program, then you know what they do? They sit together for an hour, they chat, and they go to it. If you sit side by side, if you meet each other with a coffee, this is the best way to benefit from each other. These two programs benefit, but also this is very beneficial to what we do on road cars, even inside the motorsport department.' It's not just about making the cars faster, either. Power makes heat, and heat needs to be dealt with before it breaks things, on a race car or a road car. Efficiency matters in racing because using less fuel or electricity allows you to go farther between pit stops, and it matters for the same reason on the street. 'Look at Formula E,' Laudenbach said. 'It's not our battery, but we control the thermal system [and] energy management. That's a lot of control systems. That's a lot of software. I mean, if we work with AI in the meantime and there you can learn a lot of the one side and transfer it to the other. Sometimes then you figure out that, okay, I can only take this because this [other technology] is not allowed. It's never carry over one to one. 'But you still learn a lot about how to handle it. It's software functions, it's control systems, it's sometimes also just the tools that we use, the approach that you take is not always [about] the final product. In the end, you have the product, there, no matter if it's software, hardware, but it's also, how do you approach it, because you're always looking for being most efficient. Especially Formula E, [where] we have a cost cap. It's a factor to say, okay, can I reach a certain goal with the smallest amount of money? These kind of things we always exchange because it's in the background.' Cheaper and Easier Not only are software learnings easier to transfer between programs, software is also easier to iterate on and less expensive to develop. 'Compared to hardware,' he said, 'it's not that cost intensive. Yes, you have you have the labor. But you know, you' not always having to change your bits and pieces. And don't forget, if you talk about bits and pieces, you always have to stop and throw parts away. So it's a lot more, let's say, cost efficient.' Whether in the office or trackside, the way data is managed and analyzed has changed a lot in the past decade. 'If we would do it like 10 years ago,' Lauderbach said, 'where the engineer himself goes through all the raw data, that doesn't work anymore. You got to feed your data through automatic analysis. It's just more [a question of], how do you analyze? How do you get something out in order to make the car quicker? This is a lot more or this is high sophisticated, a lot more automation and algorithms, than 10 years ago. 'It's a software basically to calculate what the car's doing because you got sensors. Obviously, you want to calculate some figures, you see what the car's doing in order to feature simulations. The simulation then gives you back again in which direction you have to go.'
New York Times
11 minutes ago
- New York Times
Victor Wembanyama cleared to return to Spurs after blood clot: Reports
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama said he is 'officially cleared to return' from the deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder that cut his 2024-25 season short, he told French newspaper L'Équipe. Wembanyama, 21, said San Antonio's medical staff told him Friday he had the green light to return to basketball, which would mark just over five months since the team discovered the blood clot upon his return from All-Star weekend. The finding stunted his sophomore season at 46 games and curtailed a historically rare season; he was the first player to record averages of 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks and 3.1 3-pointers made per game before the injury. Advertisement Team sources were unwilling to confirm, but news of his return was also reported by ESPN. San Antonio went 21-25 in the games Wembanyama played and 13-23 in its games without him last season. The team landed the No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft lottery and selected guard Dylan Harper, who is expected to join reigning rookies of the year Stephon Castle and Wembanyama to give the Spurs a young trio that could compete in the playoffs. Wembanyama has had a full offseason despite the injury, including a trip to the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China, to train with monks for two weeks. The Spurs have also had a transformative offseason, as longtime legendary coach Gregg Popovich stepped down in May to move to a front-office role after he suffered a stroke in November that forced him away from the sidelines. Wembanyama and multiple other NBA stars have dealt with blood clots in recent seasons. Then-Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard was temporarily shut down in March after doctors found a DVT in his calf, the Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson missed time from March to November 2024 with a blood clot, and Miami Heat star Chris Bosh was forced to retire in 2016 due to the recurrence of a clot, which constituted a career-ending illness. The Spurs center told L'Equipe he is 'right on schedule' with the recovery plan and that the DVT is 'officially behind me.' He said he has not played five-on-five action for five months and has to ramp up his training to be game-ready. The 21-year-old will not suit up for the French national team when EuroBasket 2025 starts on Aug. 27, joining Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier as roster exclusions due to health and recovery reasons. Team France will be highlighted by the top two picks from last year's draft, Atlanta Hawks wing Zaccharie Risacher and Washington Wizards big Alex Sarr, as well as Wizards wing Bilal Coulibaly and New York Knicks big Guerschon Yabusele. Wembanayama will likely still be in the ramp-up phase of his recovery program when the tournament begins, so his priority will be preparing for the grind of a full NBA season as an emerging superstar. Advertisement His minutes per game increased from 29.7 as a rookie to 33.2 as a sophomore last season, with another increase possibly on the way. He will likely take on even more offensive responsibility as his skill set improves, meaning his offseason training program will be crucial to setting the stage for a sustainably healthy and productive season. The Spurs' offense will further evolve this year now that former All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox will take the reins at the point from Chris Paul, who often had the Spurs playing a slower pace in the half-court. Wembanayama plans to be ready for a full return by the start of training camp in late September, his first alongside Fox. The pair only played five games together after the Spurs acquired Fox at the trade deadline. San Antonio finished 34-48 after Wembanyama was ruled out, but showed early signs of promise with a 17-16 run heading into the new year. With Castle entering his second season, Harper coming to town and former Boston Celtics center Luke Kornet providing center depth to help manage Wembanyama's load throughout the season, San Antonio has a chance to take another big step forward this season.
New York Times
16 minutes ago
- New York Times
Trey Smith avoids tag, agrees to 4-year, $94 million extension with Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs and Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith agreed to a four-year contract extension on Tuesday worth $94 million, including $70 million guaranteed, league sources confirmed to The Athletic. The deal, which makes Smith the highest-paid player at his position, was locked up hours before the NFL's deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign long-term extensions. Before April's NFL Draft, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach told reporters it was 'no secret' the team wanted to sign Smith long term, but the status of those contract negotiations became less clear as Tuesday's deadline approached. Advertisement If Smith and the Chiefs did not reach a deal by 4 p.m., the 25-year-old would have been locked into a one-year deal worth $23.402 million, as established by the franchise tag. Smith and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins were the only players placed on franchise tags this offseason, but both reached long-term deals with their teams and will avoid playing on the tag for the 2025 season. Smith skipped all of the Chiefs' OTAs in March but was in attendance for June's mandatory minicamp amid contract negotiations. His presence is crucial as the Chiefs hope to squash the blocking issues on their offensive line that cost them in Super Bowl LIX. Smith has started every one of the 67 games he's played for Kansas City and has missed only one game in four seasons. In 2024, Smith allowed a career-best 1 1/2 sacks and earned his first Pro Bowl selection. He was a sixth-round draft pick by the Chiefs in 2021.
