Trends come and go. Some are timeless. Ken Griffey Jr. cards have been in style since he broke into the majors in 1989.
A true generational talent, Griffey’s popularity transcended the sport. His smile, highlight reel plays and youthful personality made him a household name, even in ones where sports stayed on the back pages of the newspaper.
When it comes to collecting, Griffey’s time in the league charts the peak of the great 1980s and early ‘90s boom as well as the innovation that came in the years that followed. His cardboard career is like a hobby history lesson. While Griffey set trends, he’s also a symbol of others.
It has been well over a decade since his final game and Griffey still ranks among the most popular. Not surprisingly, collectors have several to choose from. The Kid has appeared on more than 25,000 cards since his minor league debut in 1987. They come at all price points ranging from under a dollar to tens of thousands.
Here’s a list of the best and most important Ken Griffey Jr. cards ever produced. It’s not necessarily his most valuable cards, although that is a big consideration. Some are very affordable even today but are notable for what they represent, either for Griffey as a player or his place in hobby history.
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2020 Topps Project 2020 #88
Seriously. If you’re looking for a single baseball card to symbolize the COVID boom, this is it. While Project 2020 started out mildly like a lot of Topps’ online-exclusives, speculation soon kicked in and some of the early cards were selling for hundreds before they even shipped out from the card maker. It was a wild few weeks of people thinking they could get rich off a couple of clicks. Keith Shore’s rendition of The Kid sold a whopping 99,177 copies. Safe to say that the only people who got rich off the card were Topps and whoever sold them the one-touch holders they were sent in.
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1991 Score #841 The Griffeys
Great cards can be cheap cards. One of the lasting highlights of Griffey’s career came early when he got to play alongside his dad in 1990 and 1991. 1991 Score Series 2 includes a portrait-style card that captures the special achievement. Sure, it can be found for under a dollar but it’s still a classic. It is worth noting the this isn’t the first card to feature the father-son combo. 1989 Bowman has one as well. However, that one doesn’t have the same connection to the game, or even the same team.
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1994 Flair Hot Gloves #3