Five Ridiculously Impossible Cards of Ken Griffey, Jr.
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It's not a stretch to say that what Mickey Mantle was to the Baby Boomer generation, Ken Griffey, Jr., was and is to Gen X. Simply put, Griffey was baseball in the 1990s, any way you want to break it down. He didn't just have video game skills but he had a style and flair that were off the charts. At the end of the day, though, there was always one thing that separated Griffey from the Mick, at least for collectors: the Benjamins. While a mid-grade playing era Mantle generally went for hundreds if not thousands, the typical playing era Griffey, even in near mint, went for a dollar or two. While Mantle ruled over the Golden Age of the Hobby, Griffey's reign coincided with its Junk Wax Era.
Still, this is hardly to say you can pick up any card of Junior you like on the cheap! With more than 30,000 different cards of the Kid, including literally thousands of "one of ones" (cards where only one was made), the truth is that Griffey has more than his share of pricey cardboard. Of course, when it comes to trading cards, there is pricey, the sort of thing you can just grab on eBay if you've got the budget, and impossible, the kinds of cards likely to elude you no matter how large your budget and your love for the Kid.
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So just what are the Impossible Baseball Cards of Ken Griffey, Jr? Collectibles on SI checked in with Griffey super collector Jason Vass to put together this list. If you have even one of these cards in your collection, consider yourself among the Hobby elite.
1998 Donruss Crusade Ken Griffey, Jr. - RED
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How tough were the Donruss Crusade inserts in 1998? Even today, most collectors--even die-hards--have never heard of them. Still, this column is not about "tough" cards. So let's jump to the red parallels, which were numbered to 25. Now were there actually 25 red Griffey cards out there, it's hard to say if the Impossible label would apply. However, speculation is that far fewer ever made it into packs, much less saw the light of day. According to Vass, we're talking about a $35,000 card here, pretty crazy when you think about what most cards from 1998 go for these days.
1998 Donruss Crusade Call to Arms Ken Griffey, Jr.
As if collecting the 1998 Donruss Crusade cards of Junior wasn't an impossible enough challenge, it just got harder. These cards also have an even rarer "Call to Arms" variant. Okay, but how rare? Well, for starters, we're talking about cards that were never even released, at least not officially. While one might dub this these Grail cards for the ultimate Griffey superfan, the truth is such collectors might sooner track down the Holy Grail itself than one of these on the open market.
1998 Skybox E-X Ken Griffey, Jr., Essential Credentials Now
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That the current bid is at $190,000, not even counting buyer's premium, with half a day still on the clock tells you everything you need to know about this Griffey card. Though serial numbered to ten, only four of these beauties have been graded by PSA, with none receiving a grade of 10.
1999 Fleer Brilliants Ken Griffey, Jr., 24-KT Gold (01/24)
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So the good news is a 1999 Fleer Brilliants card of Ken Griffey, Jr., really isn't that impossible. Get to eBay fast enough and you might just land one for under two grand! Of course, that's just the pedestrian /99 edition of the card. Now let's talk 24-KT gold, and for good measure let's not settle for just any old card from the print run. Let's go with serial number 01 of 24. All of a sudden we're talking about a truly impossible card as only a single copy exists, one that sold at Goldin for $46,360 (plus $19 shipping!) in February 2025 and is unlikely to hit the open market again any time soon.
2004 Upper Deck "A Piece of History - 500 HR Club" Ken Griffey, Jr.
Interestingly the number of Griffey cards produced in this popular but elusive Upper Deck insert set is unknown, though it's believed to be around 350. No, the bat relic was not from Griffey's actual 500th home run, but yes, it was game-used by the Kid. Feel free to go digging through the storage boxes in your basement to see if this card might be laying around, but here's the thing. If you pulled this card in 2004, you would 100% remember. With no exaggeration, good chance to that point, as with any of these Impossible cards, it would have been the greatest moment of your life!
Thanks again to Jason Vass for his assistance in compiling this list!
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.