Is the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. RC finally cooling off?
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PSA 10 copies of the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey card skyrocketed in late 2025. Though the card began the year at a seemingly healthy enough $2,500 or so, it more than doubled by October and by year's end had set a post-pandemic record with a $5,999 sale. What made the climb particularly extraordinary is that Junior himself had a relatively quiet year. Apart from photographing the occasional golf match and making an appearance at a Mariner playoff game, it's not like the Kid made the Hall of Fame (again!) or socked 70 homers. Yes, the Upper Deck Griffey is a great card, but it's not like it wasn't already when the year began.
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For better or worse, there is a name for the phenomenon of prices spiraling ever upward with seemingly no basis. It's known as a bubble. Only this isn't the fun sort of bubble featured on Griffey's 1995 Pinnacle card. On the contrary, it's a collector's least favorite kind of bubble, the kind that often bursts at exactly the wrong time.
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Whether or not the meteoric rise in Griffey prices over the second half of 2025 represented a bubble likely to burst or simply an overdue upward correction in the Modern Hobby's most iconic card remains to be seen. However, early sales figures for 2026 may offer some hints. Following back-to-back $5,000 sales on January 3 and 4, the card has sold eight times since. Here are the data. (Source: CardLadder.com)
- $4,750 on January 4
- $4,700 on January 11
- $4,605 on January 12
- $4,211 on January 12
- $4,261 on January 15
- $4,320 on January 18
- $4,440 on January 18
- $4,599 on January 22
While the numbers are still very healthy, particularly for holders of the card who bought in early 2025, not to mention 1989. On the other hand, they are no longer reflective of a $5,000 card, much less a $5,000 card with upward momentum. Though the sample size is small, there are two immediate trends in the data: prices going down for the first four sales and then back up for the next four. At the moment, CardLadder is using that last sales figure, $4,599, as the best estimate for the card's current value, which seems reasonable.
What all this means for the future is murky. At the moment, the data could just as easily describe a card headed back to $5K as one that may drop below $4K. For the "day traders" out there, there are currently four PSA 10 Griffey rookies on eBay that may provide the Hobby with its next set of hints. Two are "Buy It Now" listings that have up until now remained unclaimed at $4,500 (or best offer) and $4,550 (or best offer). Just a month ago, both would have been snatched up almost immediately. The other two Juniors to watch are auctions ending in the next five days. Both are certainly on track to end at $4K or higher but it's anyone's guess just how much higher.
Just as the 1989 Upper Deck Griffey was a fascinating card to watch in 2025, it appears it will be once again in 2026. In some regards, its wild roller coaster ride of ups and downs is reminiscent of 1989 itself when collectors opened up the new Beckett Monthly knowing anything could happen. On one hand, the volatility only adds to the excitement of the Hobby. On the other hand, the stakes are a lot higher today than they were in 1989 when nobody ever lost more than $20 or so on the Hobby's hottest card.
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.