1989 Upper Deck
Total Cards: 800
Rating: 8.1 (195 votes)
Rate this set...
Top Sets: #23
Notes: Distributed as a first series (#1-700) and High Series (#701-800). Factory sets include #1-800.
TweetCards
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1 | Ken Griffey Jr. SR, RC | Seattle Mariners |
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2 | Luis Medina SR, RC | Cleveland Indians |
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3 | Tony Chance SR, RC | Pittsburgh Pirates |
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4 | David Otto SR, UER |
Oakland Athletics |
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5 | Sandy Alomar Jr. SR, RC, UER |
San Diego Padres |
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6 | Rolando Roomes SR, RC | Chicago Cubs |
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7 | David West SR, RC, UER |
New York Mets |
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8 | Cris Carpenter SR, RC | St. Louis Cardinals |
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9 | Gregg Jefferies SR | New York Mets |
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10 | Doug Dascenzo SR, RC | Chicago Cubs |
Trivia |
- This was the first set ever released by Upper Deck.
- This was the first set to feature the use of holograms.
- The first cards to be sold in tamper-proof foil packs.
- At $0.89 a pack, carried, by far, the highest suggested retail price of its time.
- Upon its release, there was speculation that collectors wouldn't pay that much for a pack of cards and that the market couldn't support a sixth card maker.
- Eighteen year old Upper Deck employee Tom Geideman is credited for wanting to make Ken Griffey Jr. the #1 card in the set.
- Ken Griffey Jr. was actually not wearing a Mariners cap when the picture was taken. He was wearing his minor league San Bernardino Spirit cap and the picture was edited to look like a Mariners cap.
- The picture was so convincing that Griffey himself, supposedly, asked an Upper Deck photographer a year later when the picture was taken because he didn't remember posing with a Mariners cap.
- The set arrived 3 months later than planned because of production problems.
- Card #117 of Gary Pettis shows him holding and looking at the very card he's on.
- The #1 Ken Griffey Jr. card was featured on the cover of the May 1991 issue of Sports Card Trader magazine.
- Some of the other players considered for the #1 card were Gregg Jefferies, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Gary Sheffield.
- Angels pitcher DeWayne Buice (card 147) owned a 12% share of Upper Deck.
- The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey card is the most graded ever for both PSA and BGS.
User Comments |
This set is known for the Griffey RC, and (if you must) the only reason to own the set. The lack of flash photography resulting in dozens of images with shadows on player's faces makes it 'unwatchable'. The back photos are a nice touch, but as someone else mentioned Score already added head shots on their card's reverse. For a late-80s design, the template still holds up and the holograms give a futuristic feel. | ||
Gary Varsho #321 front card photo is still shown as Mike Bielecki | ||
The documentary Jack Of All Trades has some very interesting interviews with former Upper Deck employees all of whom state on the record that in early 1990 complete sheets of just '89 Griffey RC's were run off on remaining '89 unprinted stock. Its not a documentary seen by many it seems as it never broke as a big story or if it did it was when I took an extended break from the hobby. This might very well make the 89 Griffey the one with by far the largest print run and available at a factor of dozens for every other in the set. But then other regular cards appear about as expected and Griffey has been flowing like they run from an open tap. It's crazy the only people I ever hear talking about this are the people I showed the film to. I think because it wasn't marketed as a sports card documentary and the budget was low didn't help. Frankly other than the Griffey bombshell I wouldn't rush out to see it imo. But what a bombshell imo. | ||
Forum |
| Subject | Replies | Last Post |
| Beautiful set | 6 | Mar 15, 2024 3:32 PM by BSwagger |
| Do you know where the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. photo is from? | 1 | May 11, 2023 10:54 AM by Tscastle |
| Double astericks variation on the Griffey Star Rookie? | 3 | Jan 24, 2023 4:55 AM by sandyrusty |
| 659 Canseco | 11 | Oct 31, 2022 1:36 PM by tpxcards |
| How to tell the difference b/twn err and cor var of card #13 | 3 | Jun 12, 2022 4:22 PM by MattnMiller |
