Five 1989 Topps Football Cards to Collect

The 1989 Topps Football was released during the "junk wax" era of the hobby, even though the Football world does not get associated with it as much as Baseball does. Due to this, the 1989 was decently overproduced, and many cards in the set do not hold too much value. Some however, do buck this trend. This year also saw the release of the "traded" set, which will be included in this list due to the key rookies included in the traded set. Without further ado, here are the top five cards to collect from the 1989 Topps Football (and traded) set.

1. Barry Sanders RC (Traded Set, Card #83T)

The first card on this list belongs to one of the best running backs of all time, that being Barry Sanders. Although he did retire early and in his prime, he was still able to rush for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns across ten seasons, all spent with the Lions. He was never able to win a Super Bowl in his playing days, and playoff success was also elusive in the 1990s for the Detroit Lions. Despite this, ungraded copies of Sanders' RC sell for around $10, while a PSA 10 recently sold for $137.

2. Troy Aikman RC (Traded Set, Card #70T)

During his stint with the Dallas Cowboys, Aikman won three Super Bowls all within the span of one decade. This fact, alongside his statistics helped net him a Hall of Fame induction in 2006. While Aikman may never have been the most popular player on the 90s Cowboys teams, playing alongside Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders, and Michael Irvin among others. Copies of Aikman's rookie can be found relatively cheap, with ungraded copies selling for $2-$5, depending on centering and condition. Graded copies however, will cost more. A PSA 10 recently sold for $75.

3. Deion Sanders RC (Traded Set, Card #30T)

There can be no denying the popularity of Deion Sanders. The current HC at Colorado had a storied playing career, making stops with the Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Washington, and Baltimore Ravens. By some, he is considered to be one of the greatest corners of all time. Just like he always used to high-step into the end zone, he found his way to the Hall of Fame in 2009 after nabbing 53 interceptions in his career. A PSA 10 of his rookie card sold for $78 a few days ago on eBay.

4. Michael Irvin RC (Card #383)

The first card that makes the list from the flagship Topps set of 1989 is Michael Irvin's RC. Irvin was a wide receiver on the Cowboys teams of 1990s, also winning three Super Bowls. During his career, he was able to rack up 11,904 receiving yards and 65 touchdowns before his retirement in 1999. Irvin also also elected to the Hall of Fame in 2007. Copies of Irvin's rookie can be obtained for $2-$3.

5. Sterling Sharpe RC ( Card #379)

The last card on this list is certainly up for debate, as one could put Rod Woodson's RC here, or Derrick Thomas' from the traded set. This spot goes to Sterling Sharpe, who's rookie is featured in flagship set as well. During his shortened career, Sharpe was able to catch 65 touchdowns alongside 8,134 yards. An injury ultimately cut his career short, but Sharpe was able to get a Hall of Fame nod, and he will be inducted in July 2025. Sharpe's rookie can also be obtained for a reasonable prices, also falling in the $2-$3 range. A PSA 10 however, recently sold for $150.

The 1989 Topps Football set does fall victim to being part of the junk wax era, and the set itself was overproduced and value was impacted. But, some key Hall of Fame rookie cards were able to continuously rise, and since there were so many produced, collectors are able to add them to their collections without taking too big of a chunk out of their wallet.