1997 Topps Finest Ken Griffey Jr. Refractor Surges to Record With 1000% Gain
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A 1997 Refractor of Ken Griffey Jr. just sold for $18,600 on February 1, 2026, besting the previous sale of $1,600 in August of 2022. If you do the math, that's an incredible 1,069% gain. Grade and scarcity are important and this Topps Finest Refractor is a PSA 10 with a POP 12.
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⏰ SALE HISTORY: Featuring a Ken Griffey Jr. 1997 Topps Finest Refractor, graded PSA 10 (POP 12), sold for a record-high $18,600 via Fanatics Weekly last February 1st!
— Cardhedger (@cardhedger) February 3, 2026
It currently has a 1,069.8% gain (+$17,010) relative to its sale three and a half years ago, when it sold for… pic.twitter.com/5iogyzSjyS
The exact card is a 1997 Topps Finest Refractor, graded a PSA GEM Mint 10. While it looks like an insert, the Power cards were actually a subset of Series 1 of the product. Other subsets included Blue Chips, Hurlers, Warriors and Masters.
The high value of this card could be broken down into three basic facets. The first is just the fact that it's Ken Griffey Jr. While it's hard to quantify, those in the hobby know that Griffey Jr. is one of the most collectible players. Another part of the value is that it's an early refractor. In 1997, refractors were only about four years old, so the innovation was early in infancy and collectors have sought these early parallels in recent years.
Lastly, and probably the most important part, is that it got a PSA GEM Mint 10. The card is nearly 30 years old. So having one with little to now flaws after three decades is rare. According to the PSA pop report, there are only 12 copies that have been graded a PSA 10.
Lower Grade, Significantly Diminished Market Value
While the PSA 10 sold for north of $18,000, collectors can get a PSA 9 for a much more affordable price. According to 130 Point, a PSA 9 version of the exact same card went for just $1,350 on January 11, 2025.
A more recent PSA 9 sale, according to eBay sold listings, occurred on February 1, 2026 when a PSA 9 went for $1,500. Though that specific one had the coating still attached.
Griffey Jr.'s Highest Selling Refractor
According to Card Ladder, while $18,600 is an incredible price , it's not his highest selling 90s refractor. That award goes to his 1993 Topps Finest refractor, graded a PSA GEM Mint 10. This card is Griffey's first ever refractor, and sold for $26,400 with buyer's premium on May 19, 2022.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota in 2008, Cole worked as an advertising copywriter until shifting to print journalism a few years later. Managing three weekly newspapers in the Dakotas, Cole won numerous awards from the North Dakota Newspaper Association including Best of the Dakotas and, their top award, General Excellence. He returned to collecting in 2021 and has since combined his passion for writing with his love of cards. Cole also writes for the Sports Cards Nonsense newsletter and has made guest appearances on multiple sports card collecting podcasts including Sports Cards Nonsense, and the Eephus Baseball Cards Podcast. IG: coleryan411 X: @colebenz