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.

So, probably get some skeptical boos here....have any of the black border cards been added to the trading card data base?. Read an interesting article from about a year ago that was a good quick read, I am gathering that there is debate on scarcity etc.? If any one knows feel free to share. Thanks. Love this site.

I was 4 years old when I went into a local video rental store and used 50 cents to purchase 8 cards from a trading card vending machine. This is the first instance I ever purchased sports cards. The only card I remember coming from that pull was, indeed, a Griffey rookie. Not knowing how to preserve cards at such a young age, it was placed into a shoebox with several others added later, I still have it but it is in exc condition at best because of blunted corners. This is just a nostalgic set to me which I have now completed.

dupesaplenty.
Inventory @ 8 Monster Boxes
1. any ERR/VAR Cards have been deleted.
2. Hi-value Stars have been deleted

* If proposing a trade, I may have the ERR/VARs or STARS but ask me.

The color backs were nothing new, as Score had a color photo on the back of it's card, although the action shots on the back of the 1989 UD were new as was the hologram...Overall, a great set and a great choice for their number 1 card..."The Kid" was the best choice but UD missed on the rest of their run...They never got it right with their number 1 choice again...Far be for me to believe that there are certain numbers that should contain iconic or SS players on them...Number 1 being one of them...

In 1989, Upper Deck "tricked" the baseball card industry into investing $1.00 for packs of supposedly higher-class cards (when other companies had only inflated from $0.25 to $0.45 over the previous 10 years). This set turned out to be a poor investment, just like all of the other mass-produced card sets of the era. Card #1 of this set was the only card of significance this company ever produced during its entire existence. The design looks stale and rigid, which UD continued to replicate year after year. I wouldn't touch this set with a 10-foot pole. Glad I stuck with "The Real One".

While I also hunted for these cards in 1989, it really did usher in laziness of baseball card designing, that I still feel the industry has never recovered from.

This is very possibly my favorite set of all time. Great quality cards, and they weren't very easy to find, at least where I grew up in WV.

You wanted to know which card set was the first that I opened. While this was certainly not the first pack of card I ever opened, it is the first I can remember opening for sure. I did this fairly late in life (I was 31 at the time, and I opened it with my father), and thus began a decade of wasting ten of thousands of dollars, on cards that have mostly lost a great deal of value. Mind you, I have more than a few expensive cards, including Cal Ripken Jr.'s 1982 Topps Traded Rookie Card number 98

I's a good set, but it wasn't worth the huge hype. Topps, Donruss and Fleer all had better designs that year and if poor Topps had managed to get him in the main set, who knows what would've happened.

The quality of the photography is what still stands out to me. While some of the pictures chosen are questionable, the photos are HD like for the day.

At the time of release, I remember pooping my pants over the ridiculous price of $1 the dealers at the flea market were charging for packs. I mean geez, they went up to $1.25 the same day!

Ahhh.... those were the days!

After the cardboard of the 80s, this set was thinner, had better photos, and was shockingly new. I really liked the use of the baseline on the side of the card. Everyone wanted these. Unfortunately, thence the chaos of "new" that followed through the 90s.

To me this was the essential set of the 1980's...it just so happened that it was the end of the decade. UD set the new standard for cards, great stock, players, rookies, the Griffey rookie and photos. Even after the glut of cards at the end of the 80s this set still stands out to me.

1989 Upper Deck was the first pack of cards I purchased. Needless to say I was hunting for the Griffey.