Rare Ken Griffey Jr. Card Sets Topps Record
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Easily one of the most iconic and collected baseball stars, it was only a matter of time before Ken Griffey Jr. set another sports card record. And while most of his hobby highlights usually involve his famous 1989 Upper Deck rookie card, this time it was a different card that took center stage. His 2010 Topps Chrome Superfractor 1 of 1 set a new record for the most expensive Ken Griffey Jr. Topps card ever sold publicly when it fetched more than $35,000 at auction on November 16.
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The previous record was held by Griffey’s 1998 Topps Gold Label Class 3 Gold Label 1 of 1, which was graded a PSA 10 and sold a little over two years ago for $24,400. And while the grade a card receives is usually a major factor in its final sale price, the 2010 Superfractor being only a PSA 9 clearly didn’t hold it back, and there are several reasons why.
The first and most obvious reason is that the market is in a much stronger place than it was two years ago. Records continue to fall, and it’s reasonable to think the Gold Label card would sell for more than its original price if it went to auction today. It's also important to note that, while grades do matter, they usually matter far less with 1 of 1s. There is nothing to compare them to, and if a collector wants the card, the grade becomes a secondary concern because there is only one copy to chase.
Lastly, as time goes on, collector preferences have become clearer. Topps Chrome Superfractors continue to stand out as some of the most desirable cards in the hobby, especially when they’re from iconic years. With Superfractors of athletes, like Shawn Marion from 2009, nearly doubling in value over the past few months, there's no reason a Ken Griffey Jr. Superfractor from the last year he played baseball wouldn’t separate itself from his other Topps grails.
Jason is a dedicated basketball card collector who recently transitioned into writing and educating others about the sports card industry. Find him on Instagram @jeancardz