🏆 Card of the Day: 1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr. RC — PSA Population Breakdown
Card of the Day: 1989 Upper Deck #1 Ken Griffey Jr. RC — PSA Population Breakdown
The most iconic rookie card of the modern era and one of the most graded cards in existence.
The 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card is the cornerstone of the modern sports card market. It's the card that launched the "junk wax era premium" concept — a mass-produced card that somehow retained value because of the player, not the scarcity. But the PSA population report tells a fascinating story about how many of these actually survive in top condition.
PSA Population Report
| PSA Grade | Population | Value |
|---|---|---|
| GEM-MT 10 | 4,245 | $2,050 |
| MINT 9 | 33,610 | $230 |
| NM-MT 8 | 46,616 | $85 |
| Total Graded (All Grades) | 127,514 | — |
* Population data as of June 13, 2026. PSA population counts are dynamic and increase as more cards are submitted for grading. This is the most-graded card in PSA history with over 127,000 copies — only 3.33% gem at PSA 10.
The takeaway: A 3.33% gem rate across 127,514 graded copies — the most-graded card in PSA history. Even the most common card of the modern era shows how hard a true PSA 10 is to find.
