The Most Valuable Topps Baseball Cards of 1989
The 1989 Topps Baseball set returns to a clean white-border look with a bright, team-colored accent around the photo, a team name in script near the lower right, and a curved name ribbon. While the overall design is an unmistakably late-’80s aesthetic, the use of cursive for the team name harkens back to the 1978 design. The checklist contains 792 cards, issued widely in wax, rack, jumbo, vending, and factory sets, and sits firmly in the “junk-wax” boom of mass production.
Among the most notable cards are rookie issues of Craig Biggio, Gary Sheffield, John Smoltz, and Randy Johnson. Ken Griffey Jr. is notably absent from the base set as his first Topps card didn’t appear until the 1989 Topps Traded set, a big miss that allowed Topps’ competitor Score to produce the most iconic card of the era.
A premium Tiffany version was also released on glossy white stock in limited quantities; the Tiffany cards are universally more expensive and are not included in this report.
While massive production keeps most singles modest in value, 1989 Topps endures for its crisp presentation, deep player list, and Hall-of-Fame star power.
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#182 Bob McClure - $308
McClure spent an impressive nineteen seasons in the Major Leagues, playing until he was forty-one years old. Most players get worse as they age and, as a result, only the best players are still good enough to play into their forties. McClure, however, never made a single All-Star team yet was able to much longer then many Hall of Famers. This card shows him on the Mets, whom he played for in 1988, but he played for the Angles in 1989. The value of this card comes from how hard it is to find it in gem mint condition.
#145 Dave Stewart - $103
The real value of this card comes from the limited number of gem mint condition cards in circulation, but if a card deserves value for how well a player played that year then this card would definitely deserve it. Steward was a workhorse for the World Champion A’s, leading the league in innings pitched, complete games, and shutouts. In the 1989 World Series, Stewart earned MVP honors due to his winning two games with a 1.69 ERA.
#388 Bobby Bonilla All Star - $99
Bonilla was one of the best Major League players in the late 1980s and early 1990s, making six All-Star teams between 1988 and 1995. This card’s value, like most of the others on this list, is really due to the limited number of gem mint condition cards more than the quality of the player. Bonilla is one of the savviest negotiators or all-time as he famously is still getting paid by the Mets and the Orioles.
#647 Randy Johnson - $98
The key rookie card of the 1989 set. Johnson pitched well at the end of the 1988 season, but he started the 1989 season poorly and was traded to the Seattle Mariners where he would play for ten seasons and become one of the most feared pitchers in baseball. Johnson was Nolan Ryan-esq in that he was an extremely hard and slightly erratic thrower, making him just wild enough to put a little fear in the batter (or if you are John Kruk, a lot of fear). Johnson sits alone in MLB history with five Cy Young award, second only to Roger Clemens. An easy first ballot Hall of Famer.
#545 Mookie Wilson - $97
Wilson seemed to have a better career than his numbers indicated. He played for twelve years and never earned an All-Star nod, yet he is in the Mets Hall of Fame. Wilson’s speed was key to his success as he had great range in the outfield and was a threat on the bases, stealing 327 bases throughout his career. It is his speed that was a contributor to one of the Mets most important plays, which occurred in game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Red Sox. The Red Sox were up 3 games to 2 and up 5-4 in the tenth inning when Wilson hit a slow roller to first base that slipped through the first baseman’s glove (aka “The Buckner Play”) to give the Mets the win. Good luck finding this card in gem mint condition.
#505 Pete Rose - $71
The last card of Pete Rose. Rose had to stop managing the Reds after 1989 due to the emergence of the betting scandal that would keep him out of the Hall of Fame. As a player, Rose is an all time great with seventeen All-Star appearances, a Rookie of the Year honor, an MVP award, a World Series MVP award, and he happens to also be the all-time hits leader.
#387 Ryan Sandberg All Star - $66
Sandberg was at the peak of his career and in the middle of ten straight all star seasons. Sandberg was also a great fielder as he was a nine time Gold Glove winner. A third-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the best Cubs players of all-time, any Sandberg card has appeal, especially one that is so rarely found in gem mint condition.