We all knew Upper Deck was coming. It seemed like everyone was talking about it, and no one knew where or how we were going to find it. It was quite like a unicorn. As a little kid, coming across baseball cards was easy. For every foul ball hit at the local Little League field, you could turn it in to the concession stand for either a snowcone or a pack of Topps baseball cards. But, Upper Deck...that was going to be different.
In April 1989, Upper Deck flipped the card hobby on its face. It literally took all we knew and all we were used to, and changed those expectations completely. In an instant, those rough cardboard editions from Topps, Donruss, and Fleer were lesser than...and we wanted the good stuff. It certainly didn't help that Topps came out with a very lackluster edition in January of 1989. It was white and boring...with a swoosh for the name and team. I wasn't impressed and I had been hoping for much more out of Topps, especially with the looming competition that Upper Deck posed to the hobby.
By that time, Topps had raised the price of a wax pack to 50 cents. While it was more than the 35 or 40 cents of the mid-80s, it was manageable. Mom was still willing to pick up a few packs at the store. I could even hope for 3-4 packs of cards upon mom's return. At 9 years old, I was really still at the mercy of adults to help me get my hands on baseball cards. As 1989 got underway, I began accruing as many 1989 Topps cards as possible.
1989 Topps
Unopened Pack
1989 Topps Jose Canseco #500
As Topps released their set early, I had a head start to jump out and look for all my favorite players. The previous year, in 1988, Jose Canseco made history with a historic season and became the first player in Major League Baseball history to hit 40 home runs and steal 40 bases in a single season, earning him the American League MVP award. I was definitely on the lookout for this 1989 Topps.
But what I was about to see that April when Upper Deck came out would blow my mind.
1989 Upper Deck Jose Canseco #371
At $1.00 per pack, they were the greatest baseball cards ever made. The problem for me, however, was two-fold. First, it was hard to find Upper Deck in rural southeast Texas. Second, that $1.00 price point meant half as many packs of cards to tear through. The quality of the Upper Deck card in 1989 was so different than what I was used to in Topps. The gloss, the hologram, the photography, and the sealed packages ... and Ken Griffey, Jr.
1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey, Jr.
Who was Ken Griffey, Jr.? As a kid in Texas before the 1989 season even started, I had no clue who this "kid" was. But, my dad had stories about Ken Griffey and the Big Red Machine, and Beckett Monthly said this was the guy! The local card store was just about the only place we could find a pack of Upper Deck baseball cards. And, if my memory serves me correctly, we paid about $1.25 for a pack. I remember I only got my hands on 1 Ken Griffey, Jr. Upper Deck rookie card that year. I put it in a sleeve and in to a book. It was my prize possession of 1989. Today, I probably have 4-5 of the Ken Griffey, Jr. rookie cards....I have no clue if my original is still in my collection but it's fun to think that it is.
1989 Upper Deck Low Series
Unopened Pack
In that first year of collecting Upper Deck, I was still a bit young. I didn't buy or acquire as many '89 Upper Deck cards as I would in 1990, 1991, and 1992....ah, what a lucky time to be a collector! I do remember trading at school for a Nolan Ryan for my collection. As went many of my trades, I am sure I gave away far too much for what I received...but I wanted that Nolan Ryan!
1989 Upper Deck Nolan Ryan #145
I thought this was the most amazing baseball card ever created. As a young Nolan Ryan fan, I can recall just staring at this card in awe. The 1989 Upper Deck incorporated that baseline along the border and the shiny card stock that just revolutionized the hobby.
As I mentioned before, I didn't acquire many 1989 Upper Deck cards but I was keenly aware of what was going on with them and how they were changing the hobby. Being born in 1980, I wasn't old enough to collect the great rookies from 1980-1985, and I came of age a little too late by acquiring not 1989 Upper Deck, but instead it's overprinted cousin....1990 Upper Deck!
What are your memories of 1989 Upper Deck?
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