by Scooter on 06/06/2010 in Memorabilia, MLB News

Ken Griffey Junior said goodbye to baseball on June 2 before Seattle played the Minnesota Twins. Griffey retires with 630 homers – fifth on the career list – and 1,836 RBIs. He will certainly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He had a 22-year career that began with the Mariners as a 19-year-old in 1989. He was on pace to be the home run king until injuries derailed his chances.

I am sure that most baseball card collectors are salivating now that Ken Griffey Junior has retired. His baseball cards will be worth more when he enters the Hall of Fame.

There are many Ken Griffey Jr. rookie cards in circulation, but not all of them are rare. The most popular is the Ken Griffey Jr. Upper Deck #1.

How much are his cards worth today?

Ken Griffey, Jr. 1989 Rookie Cards

• Bowman # 220 ($40to $60)
• Donruss # 33 ($50 to $75)
• Fleer # 548 ($40 to $60)
• Score Rookie/Traded # 100T ($12 to $24)
• Topps Traded # 41T ($20 to $44)
• Upper Deck # 1 ($15 to $300)
• 1989 Classic Travel Orange Ken Griffey Jr. ($39 to $55)

The most popular card (Upper Deck #1) is not the rarest of the bunch. The 1989 Classic Travel Orange is one of the rarest of all of Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cards. It comes in a game set, in which most were ruined by younger adults while playing the game.
The estimated production is about 100,000 games made.

The 1989 Classic Travel Orange Ken Griffey Jr. is estimated to be worth over $150 in mint condition when Ken Griffey Jr. enters the Hall of Fame.

These are only estimates and card values depend on two factors; Condition and production quantities.

Do you own any of Ken Griffey Jr. rookie baseball cards?