Ken Griffey Jr. may not be considered one of the top 10 greatest baseball players of all time but he is certainly one of the most iconic. The long-time Seattle Mariners star experienced an explosive rise to fame and his baseball cards quickly became the most popular among 1990’s baseball card collectors.
What is the Most Expensive Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball Card?
The most expensive Ken Griffey Jr. baseball card ever sold is a 1994 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr./Mickey Mantle Dual Autograph card graded BGS 9.5. The record Ken Griffey Jr. card sold at Goldin Auctions for $57,600 on January 8, 2022.
What is the Most Expensive Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card?
The most expensive Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is a 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Autographed Rookie Card graded PSA 10. The record Griffey rookie card sold at PWCC marketplace auction.
Junk Wax Era
While Ken Griffey Jr.’s most expensive baseball card sold for $57,000, the most expensive sports cards in the hobby are selling for millions of dollars. That’s right, millions.
It would stand to reason that Griffey Jr. would see his top rookie cards selling for millions just like current sports stars turned pop icons. A Mike Trout rookie card sold for almost $4 Million in 2020.
A handful of other cards, both modern and vintage, have sold for well over $1 Million in just the last two years.
What makes Griffey Jr. different? His rise to stardom took place smack dab in the middle of the “junk wax era”.
The “Junk Wax Era” was a period in the 1980's and 1990's when card manufacturers flooded the market with supply, leaving trading cards with very little monetary value. The Junk Wax era is mostly considered from 1986 and 1993. Ken Griffey Jr.'s rookie year was 1989.
Since rookie cards are generally considered the most valuable for any given player, Griffey cards are relatively affordable because of this era.
The Most Expensive Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball Cards
1. 1994 Upper Deck #GM1 Ken Griffey Jr./Mickey Mantle Dual Autograph BGS 9.5
Price: $57,600
This dual autograph card features arguably the two most popular baseball players of their respective eras. The horizontal card shows a portrait of each player, side by side with authentic autographs under each.
While the PSA population report shows 200+ copies having been graded, this is the highest known grade to have been sold in recent years. The winning bidder paid $57,600 (including fees) at Goldin Auctions to secure the most expensive Ken Griffey Jr. card ever sold.
2. 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Junior Rookie Card PSA 10 Gem Mint
Price: $55,200
This is Griffey Jr.’s most recognizable card and official Upper Deck rookie card. Everyone knows this card and just about everyone has it.
While a raw, ungraded version of the card can be had for almost nothing, PSA 10’s and BGS 10’s are starting to gain some traction. Multiple PSA 10’s have now sold for over $50,000.
I’m not aware of any BGS Black Label’s in this card but if one surfaces, it will likely become the most valuable Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card by a long shot.
3. 1998 Skybox Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Ken Griffey Jr. BGS 8
Price: $46,800
While Skybox did not start producing baseball cards until 1998, they picked a great year to do so. The epic home run race between Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGuire, and Sammy Sosa captivated the sports world. Skybox was able to capitalize on the spectacle.
Skybox did a print run of only 50 cards for each of the Precious Metal Gems parallels. Skybox Precious Metal Gems have slowly gained popularity but hit the big time when a Green PMG Michael Jordan sold for over $900,000 in 2020.
It is one of the most expensive Michael Jordan basketball cards ever sold.
4. 1999 Upper Deck Game Jersey Ken Griffey Jr. Patch Autograph BGS 8.5
Price: $42,000
Upper Deck cleverly produced only 24 of these cards. Griffey’s number for the Mariners was 24. With this being the highest known sale of the card, there are 23 other owners who could be sitting on a goldmine.
The game worn jersey patch sits in a diamond frame in the center of the card. Griffey’s autograph is scrawled in blue ink over top of a small photo of the lefty in action.
5. 1997 Donruss Crusade Ken Griffey Jr. Red Refractor Sample Rare $33,100
Price: $33,100
Card manufacturers like Donruss started releasing Refractor parallels on the heels of the junk wax era in an effort to create scarcity and thus value in their cards. This Red Refractor from the 1997 Donruss Baseball set is one such example.
The 1997 Donruss Red Refractor has a print run of 25 cards. This rare sample card sold for $33,100 in a private sale on Ebay.
6. 1993 Finest Refractor Ken Griffey Jr. PSA 10 Gem Mint
Price: $26,400
The 1993 Topps Finest set was released in what is widely considered as the last year of the junk was era. What makes this set unique is that it introduced refractors to the world. The refractor on this particular set gives off a slight rainbow reflection.
While the card is not a Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card, his is considered the premier card in the set.
7. 1989 Donruss Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card Rare card – 3 error misprint
Price: $25,900
Griffey Jr.’s rookie card from the 1989 Donruss set has numerous potential errors. When one of the cards has all 3 of the errors, it can be extremely valuable. The errors include a pink dot at the top of the card, no period on the word INC on the back of the card, and blue ink spots on Griffey’s arm.
8. 1999 Skybox Premium Ken Griffey Jr. Star Rubies 24/50 PSA 8
Price: $23,750
Skybox mades some of the more valuable baseball cards in the late 90’s. This is interesting, given that Skybox was more of a basketball card manufacturer. Skybox seemed to understand the idea of scarcity better than other brands. That scarcity combined with condition issues over the years makes highly graded Skybox cards worth a great deal.
The 1999 Skybox Premium Star Rubies set certainly has a premium look to it. This Ken Griffey Jr. card graded PSA 8 is one of 50 and is one of the more highly graded copies known to exist.
9. 1999 Skybox Molten Metal Fusion Titanium PSA 8
Price: $22,800
What we said before about Skybox. Another set with a limited print run of 50, this set from Skybox is of the same ilk as Precious Metal Gems.
This particular Griffey card is graded PSA 8 and sold for $22,800 at Goldin Auction.
10. 1999 Fleer Brilliants 24 KT Gold Ken Griffey Jr. PSA 10
Price: $21,999
This set from Fleer is a stunning set way ahead of its time. The limited print run of 24 cards in this 24KT Gold parallel is akin to the Panini National Treasures cards produced today. The parallels were supposedly printed on some sort of 24KT Gold laminated stock.
The card definitely pops. Griffey’s card features a photo of that smooth finish to the Hall of Famer’s left handed stroke. This particular Griffey card was in graded GEM MINT PSA 10.
11. 1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card PSA 10 Gem Mint $21,000 (PWCC)
Price: $21,000
This is the signature Bowman rookie card for any 1989 rookie. The regular Bowman set is worth very little because of its high print run. The Bowman Tiffany set is a limited print run and its cards are worth at least 10x the regular Bowman set.
While the design of the regular Bowman base set and Bowman Tiffany are very similar, there are key differences:
Bowman vs. Bowman Tiffany
[ninja_tables id=”8353″]12. 1998 Circa Thunder Super Rave Ken Griffey Jr. PSA 10 $20,900 (Goldin Auction)
Price: $20,900
Another limited print run, the 1998 Circa Thunder Super Rave parallel screams 1990’s. The psychedelic design of the card draws attention away from the centered photo of Griffey Jr. just before making contact.
The PSA 10 grade on this is a rare find.
13. 1991 Topps Desert Shield Ken Griffey Jr. PSA 10
Price: $18,600
The 1991 Topps Desert Shield set and the regular 1991 Topps baseball set are nearly identical in appearance. The Desert Shield set features a marking in the top right corner signifying Operation Desert Shield. The set was actually manufactured for and sent to U.S. Troops during Operation Desert Storm.
Highly graded cards from this set can be extremely hard to find. The scarcity of well kept cards plus the novelty of the set make them highly sought after. Griffey Jr.’s card from the set is one of the most coveted.
This PSA 10 in Mint condition sold at Heritage Auctions.
Is My Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball Card Worth Anything?
When trying to find the value of your Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards, you will need to examine the following aspects of your card:
- Card condition
- Rarity (print quantity)
- Demand
Card Condition
Any sports card’s condition will be the greatest determining factor of its relative value. The card’s condition can drastically change the value of any card. Take the 1996 Topps Chrome Refractor Kobe Bryant rookie card for example.
While the Topps Chrome is one of the more common Kobe rookie cards, high grades from card authenticators can give the card immense value. A raw or ungraded version of the card could be purchased for hundreds of dollars. Move up to a grade of BGS 8.5 and the same card is suddenly worth over $10,000.
Move up to a 1996 Topps Chrome Refractor Kobe Bryant RC graded BGS 10 Black Label and the card is now worth nearly $2 Million. One such card sold for $1.75 Million in March of 2021. The higher the grade, the lower the supply, the higher the demand.
Rarity (print quantity)
The basic laws of supply and demand apply to the baseball card market. The print quantity usually determines the supply aspect.
While the print run is the primary factor in determining a card’s supply, there are sometimes extenuating circumstances that can reduce the apply and increase the demand.
The most notable example of this dynamic is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. Now one of the most famous and expensive sports cards in the world, it was once an overproduced throw away card. Literally. When Topps had difficulty selling the 1952 set, they dumped boxes and boxes of the cards into the Atlantic Ocean.
Now we all know highly graded versions of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card can sell for millions. When looking to find the value of your Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards (or looking to purchase a valuable Griffey card), look for cards with smaller print runs.
A card’s condition can also put the card in a more limited supply category. Cards in highly graded condition are often harder to find and can increase the value dramatically.
Demand
Demand of a card is usually secondary to supply and is driven by the former. Griffey Jr.’s most recognizable card is likely the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card. The card was printed in such high quantities that it can easily be had for a few dollars.
Everyone wants to own one so the social demand may be high. Unfortunately for seller, the higher supply means the market demand just isn’t there.
The market demand is much higher for cards like Griffey’s 1998 Skybox Precious Metal Gems, which was produced in lower quantities.
