No one is going to mistake 1989 Score baseball cards for T3 Turkey Reds, or even for 1989 Upper Deck baseball cards.
Score’s second baseball issue is no great work of art, and it was produced in quantities so large that the cards are generally not worth much at all these days.
On the other hand, ’89 Score does present a clean look, with decent photography on both card fronts and backs. It’s also graced with a pretty strong rookie card crop.
And … well, all those cards on the market means it’s not impossible to find “perfect” specimens, as in cards that grade out at PSA 10 (for example).
Some of those gems still hold some value, too.
What follows, then, is a list of the most valuable 1989 Score baseball cards, based on recent eBay sales of PSA 10 specimens. We’ll start at the bottom of the pile and work our way to the most expensive cards.
(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon links for the cards being discussed.)
1989 Score Greg Maddux (#119)
After a couple of years of putrid records and ERAs, Maddux broke out to the tune of 18-8, 3.18 ERA. It was teh first salvo in what would become an unassailable assault on a spot in Cooperstown.
It also added a bit of extra oomph to the sight of the future Mad Dog in Cubbies pinstripes, as we see on this bright 1989 Score card.
Value: $15-20
1989 Score Sandy Alomar Jr. Rookie Card (#630)
Everybody was pretty sure in the late 1980s that the Alomar boys were going to be something special. All we were unsure about was a) when they were going to arrive and b) which one would get to the Hall of Fame first.
As it turned out, Roberto won both those battles, as it took Sandy, Jr., a couple more years to get on track. When he did, though, he won the 1990 American League MVP award for the Cleveland Indians.
Before that, he appeared on this extreme close-up 1989 ROOKIE card in that year’s Score set.
Value: $15-25
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1989 Score Ryne Sandberg (#35)
By 1989, Ryno was a bona fide superstar, and all of his cards were sought-after gems each spring.
This Score beauty shows the Cubs’ Hall of Fame second baseman in action, white pinstriped uniform blazing in the Wrigley Field sunshine and the fabled ivy photo bombing the whole tableu.
Cardboard doesn’t get much more 1980s baseball-y than this!
Value: $15-25
1989 Score Rickey Henderson (#70)
Like Bonds, Rickey Henderson is one of the greatest players of all time, one who also did his damage mostly while playing left field.
In 1989, Henderson was about to embark on maybe the most productive stretch of his career, and he would be on cardboard fire in the hobby by the time he broke Lou Brock‘s stolen base record in 1991.
Rickey’s cards maintain a lot of that glow even today, and this 1989 Score fits that bill.
Value: $20-25
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1989 Score Cal Ripken Jr. (#15)
Cal Ripken hit something of a lull in the late 1980s — as his games-played streak marched on, his batting averages and overall production slid downward.
The Orioles legend took a lot of heat, too, with plenty of folks suggesting he should rest now and then in the name of boosting his output.
Cal, of course, resisted and forged a resurgence in the early 1990s that cemented his place as one of the most popular players to ever lace up his spikes.
Not surprisingly, Ripken’s cards are almost always among the most valuable in the sets they’re part of, and this 1989 Score is no exception.
Value: $20-25
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