Upper Deck Celebrates 20 Years With Griffey Jr.

To honor the card that started it all between Upper Deck and Griffey Jr. (No 1 in the 1989 debut set), Upper Deck had Ken Griffey Jr. sign 89 of his 1989 rookie cards and include the inscription “20 years.” These cards will be randomly inserted into 2009 Upper Deck Series One Baseball which releases in early February. To add heightened rarity with these signed cards, Junior signed the first 13 cards in black ink and the remaining 76 cards in blue ink.

“We have enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Ken Griffey Jr. since our company’s inception,” said Gabriel Garcia, Upper Deck’s associate brand manager for baseball. “This is the perfect way to help celebrate our 20th anniversary and the enduring partnership that Upper Deck has enjoyed with one of baseball’s greatest stars. Griffey’s 1989 Upper Deck rookie card is beloved by sports card collectors and those who find these signed versions will truly have a special collectible to add to their collections.”