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Baseball collecting guide

Ken Griffey Jr.1989 Bowman Tiffany #220

A factory-set finish makes the edition call matter as much as the grade.

Two 1989 Griffey cards can carry the same #220 and look convincing side by side. The question that changes the purchase is which set each card came from. A collector building a Bowman run can own the regular issue first and still have a specific reason to pursue Tiffany later.

The difference is in the stock

Bowman returned in 1989 with a Tiffany edition alongside the regular set. Topps describes the premium factory-set cards as having glossy fronts and smoother, brighter backs. PSA catalogs the regular and Tiffany Griffey #220 separately. Start by matching the solo Griffey card to those references. His appearance on a Bowman card with his father is a separate checklist entry. 1 2 3

The player behind the card

Seattle gave Griffey 127 games in his first major-league season. The Bowman portrait and the season line make a natural pair for an album: the teenager on the card finished with as many steals as home runs. 7

The card’s season

1989 · Seattle Mariners

MLB regular season

127 games · 120 hits in 455 at-bats, 16 HR. 7

How to inspect a loose #220

Ask for the face in indirect light, a second view at an angle and a full photograph of the back. Compare the stock and finish across all three. A sleeve can produce its own reflections, and an overexposed photograph can make ordinary stock look brighter. A seller with an opened factory set may have useful provenance. Check that the evidence connects this particular card to that set. 1

Two same-edition purchases

Fanatics Collect sold a PSA 9 Tiffany #220 for $1,590 on February 23, 2026, and a PSA 8 for $840 on April 20, 2026. Both prices include the buyer’s premium. The dates and individual copies differ, so the $750 difference cannot be assigned entirely to grade. For a display purchase, put the two fronts side by side and decide whether the centering and corners justify the difference to you. 4 5

Documented prices

PSA estimate

$2,801 USD · PSA 9

Reference recorded Nov 4, 2026 for this grade.

View the PSA reference

Heritage Auctions · May 12, 2022

$1,560 USD · PSA 9

Auction archive total. Heritage lists a 20% buyer’s premium for this lot.

View the sold lot

Check the Bowman Tiffany finish; regular Bowman also uses #220.

Current eBay Listings

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Current asking prices are marketplace listings, not verified sales or appraisals.

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Collector questions

Can I identify Tiffany from the number?

Both editions use #220. Match the finish, stock and full catalog designation before a Tiffany price enters the discussion.

What if the photograph only shows the holder?

Request clear pictures of the card inside it. The label helps establish the edition and grade. The pictures show the centering, corner wear and surface appearance you will actually own.

Sources

  1. Topps, Bowman Tiffany history
  2. PSA, exact card and grade reference
  3. PSA, standard Bowman #220
  4. Fanatics Collect, 1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. ROOKIE #220 PSA 9 MINT
  5. Fanatics Collect, 1989 Bowman Tiffany Ken Griffey Jr. ROOKIE #220 PSA 8 NM-MT
  6. Heritage Auctions auction result
  7. MLB · regular-season statistics