Ken Griffey Jr. Rookie Card: Which One It Is and How to Identify It

• 1989 Upper Deck #1 (Upper Deck): widely recognized as 'iconic' and remains one of the most sought-after baseball cards from the modern era

• Card #1 sits at the front of the 'Star Rookies' subset: the card is #1, leading off the 'Star Rookies' subset.
• Front design has thick white borders with a baseline motif on the right side: the front carries thick white borders.
• Back has a second full-color photo alongside the stats box: the back includes a second full-color photo to complement the stats box.

• Upper Deck introduced anti-counterfeiting holograms starting with this set: Upper Deck began using anti-counterfeiting holograms starting with this set.

The 1989 Upper Deck hologram on the card back was a hobby-first anti-counterfeiting feature and remains a key checkpoint when authenticating this card.

• Card number and set on the back must match the listing above; "rookie card" is a specific card, not any early card of the player.
• Print quality: genuine cards have crisp text and a regular dot pattern under magnification; reprints and fakes blur, especially in small type.
• Stock and size: compare thickness, gloss and corners against a common card from the same set.
• Chrome and Prizm parallels carry a foil, color or serial-number mark that the base card lacks; the base card is the reference rookie unless the source says otherwise.
• Grading is a separate step; a slab authenticates and grades, and the grading guide explains what the number means.

Shoot the front flat, straight on, in daylight, with all four corners in frame, then the back so the card number and copyright line are readable. For chrome or foil cards, take a second front shot tilted under the light to show the finish. The app reads the player, set and number; the checks above confirm the version.