If you’re a baseball card collector, there’s one 80s & 90s name you need to look out for:
Ken Griffey Jr.
And his baseball cards are worth a small fortune.
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Why Ken Griffey Jr. Cards Are So Valuable?
If you’re wondering why his cards are so valuable, here are a few reasons:
- The Seattle Mariners selected Ken Griffey Jr. from Moeller High School as the first overall pick in the 1987 MLB Amateur Baseball Draft – and Ken Griffey Jr. never looked back.
- He appeared in 13 All-Star Games and won 10 Gold Gloves, 7 Silver Sluggers, and the AL MVP Award in 1997.
- Griffey Jr. had a .284 batting average, with 630 home runs. He is currently 7th in Home Run hitting history.
- Ken Griffey Sr. hit a home run on September 14, 1990, while Ken Griffey Jr. was on the mound. Griffey Jr. followed up with a home run of his own, making them the first father-son duo to hit back-to-back home runs.
- He starred in ads for Nike, Foot Locker, Pepsi, and Nintendo. All of which made Griffey a massive asset to the league.
- In 1996, Nike not only built a shoe line for Ken Griffey Jr., but they also launched an ad campaign called “Griffey in ’96,” which made national headlines when Griffey announced his presidential candidacy.
Below are the most valuable Ken Griffey Jr cards right now:
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4. 1997 E-X2000 Essential Credentials Ken Griffey Jr. #40, $5,599
This 1997 E-X2000 Essential Credentials collection by Fleer/Skybox came in a box with 24 packs and was a 102-card set released before the 1997 season:
Each pack, contained just two cards, making it the first primary licensing business to offer packs with only two cards. The goal of this strategy was to turn the set into a high-end item.
The most valuable Ken Griffey Jr. card in this collection is blue and holographic.
Cards from this collection are highlighted in purple, red, and orange. And the rear of the card is a mirror image of the front.
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3. 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Star Rookie #1, $7,400
The most famous Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is this 1989 Upper Deck Star Rookie card. This Upper Deck set was the first to be released in the company’s history in 1989:
Ken Griffey Jr. was the first card in the collection because Upper Deck has an exclusive arrangement with the star. The “Star Rookie” label was also introduced on this card.
This 1989 Upper Deck card, which features Griffey in a San Bernardino outfit, is the holy grail of any Griffey collection, or any collection for that matter.
The cards were produced on high-quality paper material, and the packets were foil-sealed, making them tamper-proof. To avoid counterfeiting, each card has a hologram stamped on it.
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2. 1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. #220, $9,750
Griffey Jr. was the number one overall draft pick on June 2, 1987, and that is featured here on a rookie card with the Seattle Mariners:
This is the most valuable Ken Griffey Jr. card available.
Due to the player’s outstanding performance in the minor levels, Griffey Jr. was called up to the Mariners for the 1989 season.
In that season, he batted for a .313 average, with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs in 54 games:
In his second season, Griffey hit for .325, with 13 home runs, 52 RBIs, and 36 steals in only 75 games.
1. 1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken GRIFFEY Jr, Mariners Auto, $14,000
Ken Griffey Jr. was one of the most iconic players of the era. And this PSA 10 with DNA authentication rookie card proves it.
Selling for a whopping $14,000 on May 27th on eBay. This card clearly holds immense value for collectors.