1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie cards. Everyone has one.
Okay... maybe not everyone. But based on what I've read there's probably enough floating around this planet for every serious card collector to have one in their collection.
And according to Got'em Got'em Need'em, it's arguably the most important card in our hobby's history. I'm not really in the mood to fry my brain, so I'll avoid diving into this debate. But regardless of whether you agree with Stephen LaRoche and Jon Waldman, I'm sure we can all agree that this card is definitely iconic.
It's the first card that comes to mind when I think of Upper Deck. The image of that card is burned into my brain after seeing it in magazines, books, advertisements, and of course numerous blogger posts over the years.
So today's questions are...
Do you currently own a 1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card? If so, how many?
There was a point in my life when I bought multiple copies of this card for investment purposes. I'm thinking that I probably owned five or six copies during the late 90's. However... times have changed. These days, I only have one of these in my collection plus the one in my recently acquired factory set.
Happy Thursday and sayonara!
I have one, but I am a Griffey collector too so it is the pride of my collection. It was the first big card I bought when I got back in to collecting in 1992.
ReplyDeleteI don't own one, but I'd love to snag one some day.
ReplyDeleteI don't have one. I wouldn't mind having one, but it's not a priority.
ReplyDeleteDon't own. Don't really care to own one. If I get one, I'll say, "OK, now what?" ... By the way I'd love for everyone to respond to this and then do a graph based on people's ages. It might be interesting.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea for a case study. I'm actually very surprised at the numbers (w/o the ages) so far:
DeleteOwn It = 2
Don't Own It = 6
I was thinking more along the lines of a 50/50 split.
The answer is NO. I do not own a UD Griffey rookie card. Frankly, by the time UD entered the hobby, I stopped collecting.
ReplyDeleteMy card acquiring inspiration was rekindled with the challenge of the vast world of soccer cards. The prices are still (relatively) reasonable and the excitement of new discoveries is high.
For the price of this Griffey, I can still pick up a nice vintage Pele card or even a Beckham rookie.
Oooh... I'd love to add a vintage Pele card to my PC at some point.
DeleteI don't have..And I'd prefer a zillion times having the Paul Molitor rookie card (which is shared with other rookie players).
ReplyDeleteBut if I get one in some Upper Deck pack I get..I won't throw it away but it won't have great highlight in my collection, as in, not going to a binder.
I have one, picked it up as the last card to complete my 1989 Upper Deck set. Wouldn't mind having one more in my HOF collection but probably won't get one unless it falls into my lap.
ReplyDeleteI don't have one. I'm unofficially on the lookout for one at all times. I prefer the '89 Donruss Griffey, though.
ReplyDeleteMy personal favorite is his Topps Traded rookie card. I'm not sure why... but it reminds me of a vintage card from the 60's.
DeleteDon't have the 89 UD. I've had the 89 Donruss since back in the day, but don't really like it much. My favorite Griffey RC is the 89 Score Rookie & Traded, which I picked up not too long ago.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I own that one yet... but just checked COMC and like the action shot. Donruss Baseball Bests also uses a nice action shot.
DeleteI have two, I think. I have one for sure in a rookie card binder I was keeping in the 80s. (Anyone want some Shawn Abner Rated Rookie cards?) and I thought I saw one in a stack I was going through recently so that may be a 2nd one.
ReplyDeleteHow about some Abner 85T #1 Draft Pick cards?
Deletei have 2 - one in my complete set and one in my Griffey pc that I abandoned in 2003 or so. It really is an iconic card. I was surprised to learn by reading 'card sharks' a few years ago that it was airbrushed
ReplyDeleteI still need to read that book... just waiting to find a reasonably priced copy.
DeleteFirst I would love to debate the most Iconic card of all time. I think I might have one in my collection. Honestly I don't know. But I will say this the 89 Upper Deck did change the game. I remember when it came out. I bought very little of it because it was over twice as expensive as Topps, Donruss, or Fleer. I almost picked up a full set of 89 UD a while back, I think the price was about $25.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Unfortunately, I was the guy (always looking for a bargain) who bought packs of everything except UD.
DeleteI have one for my 89 Upper Deck set and that's all I need :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have one and I don't really see myself getting one either. I wasn't even born when the Griffey RC was released and by the time I became a baseball fan/collector Griffey's career was pretty much done and the most coveted rookie card made by Upper Deck was the 1993 Upper Deck SP Derek Jeter RC.
ReplyDeleteThe Jeter might be the most coveted... but that Griffey is probably the most produced.
DeleteI've owned this card three times in the past but no longer have one in my possession.
ReplyDeleteMine is sleeve and protected. Good thing too. My other 1989 Upper Deck cards got hit with some water damage.
ReplyDeleteBummer. One of my worst fears is having my collection damaged by fire or water. My Damaged Card PC is already too big.
DeleteI have two of these gems in my collection. At one point I had 3, but in 1990 I decided to trade one for a box of Fleer Football...one of my biggest hobby regrets. So dumb...I did pull a couple Jeff George rookie cards though. I think those are in high demand...?
ReplyDeleteDon't feel bad... I probably would have made that trade too back in 1990.
DeleteI own one, bought it i believe in the late 90's at a card show for $35 bucks. Griffey's one my favorites growing up and though I've sold most of my collection, the 89 UD is stayin with me
ReplyDeleteI do not own a copy of that card.
ReplyDeleteI don't own a copy. I'd like to, but I can't afford the prices they usually command. If I happened to find a beat-up one for a few bucks at a show one day, I'd pull the trigger. Until then, though, I don't care too much about not owning it.
ReplyDeleteI'm confident you'll find one. You already beat the odds with that 75T Brett for 50¢.
DeleteAfter a few days, here's the breakdown:
ReplyDeleteOwn It - 8
Don't Own It - 10
Might Own It - 1
Sorry that I'm late to the party....
ReplyDeleteI have never owned the 89UD Griffey, and - like the 1952 Mantle - if I stumbled across a cheap copy I'd probably buy it with the intent of somehow turning it into something I'd enjoy far more. I feel like I've seen the card's image enough to last my lifetime.
Griffey is my favorite player, so yes I have that card. I wanted it for years and years and finally bought one at it's peak somewhere around 1998 or 1999. It was the most I ever paid for a single card and still is. I thought it was in perfect condition so I sent it to Beckett to be graded and it came back an 8.5. I broke it free about a year ago and love it!
ReplyDeleteKudos for setting yours free. If I had a graded copy, the only way I'd keep it intact was if it was graded PSA 10 or BGS 9.5+. And if I actually owned one of those copies, I'd probably sell them while they still command decent money and turn around and buy a cheaper copy.
DeleteI have one, ungraded, but in a penny sleeve inside a semi-rigid top-loader. I lived in Spokane, WA as a kid when Griffey arrived on the scene, and this card was more valuable than photos of Bigfoot. At the time, I was also very anti-Upper Deck, as I loathed their outlandish, unbelievable premium of at least $3 per pack (or more!). I've had mine since about 1992, as a friend of my dad's had both UD 1989 and 1990 sets to trade me. I think I traded him something like a 1952 Bowman Joe Garagiola in about VG-EX condition for both sets. If it were just the 1990 set, then I would have been woefully robbed. At least now, it's probably a push.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to a card show in Princeton Plaza in San Jose in the late 90s, and a dealer had about eight Griffeys that were PSA 9, and around four that were PSA 10. This guy walked up, asked how much the PSA 10s were. "$800". Then the collector asked about the PSA 9s. "$200", the dealer replied. The now-customer, without hesitation, pulled out two Benjis and walked away with a PSA on the spot. Never forgot that exchange. I was a guy that really needed $200 back then. Amazed that I didn't try to sell mine, which might be 9-ish. That would get me what, now? $30? At most?
Latest Griffey 89UD Update
ReplyDeleteOwn It - 10
Don't Own It - 11
Might Own It - 1
They had card shows at Princeton Plaza? I remember the comic book store in that shopping center. Actually, I worked at the Thrifty's in that shopping center (although that was in the late 80's).
It's insane to think that someone dropped $200 on a PSA 9 Griffey... but that's probably what a lot of my friends think when they see me buying cards today.