For twenty plus years, Ken Griffey Jr was the face of Upper Deck, and for that matter, the face of the game. Griffey’s dynamic play, moon shot home runs and overall success was one of the main reasons that Upper Deck was what it was. Even after injuries brought his career potential from one of the best ever to just one of the best, collectors still loved everything the kid brought to the table. Once Upper Deck lost the ability to produce licensed baseball cards, their focus shifted to sports that more fit their college themed sets. Griffey retired the following year, and his contract with Upper Deck expired this past off season.

With their exclusive license to produce licensed cards, Topps wasted little time signing him to an autograph and memorabilia deal, something that many people like me felt was a pretty big deal. Griffey is Griffey, and they felt that adding him to their lineup was a perfect way to boost their influence among the baseball faithful. Today, among some previews for 2012 Allen & Ginter, we got our first look at what his signed cards will look like. I have to say, that although it seems odd to have Griffey sign a card without the UD logo, Topps definitely made the right choice.

I think that there are a ton of people out there who want hard signed Griffey cards for their collection, even more so now that he can be depicted in his Mariners uniform again. On top of that, the ginter design this year looks on par with previous years, looking to continue its tour de force among set collecting baseball fanatics.

Griffey will always be one of the most famous baseball players ever to play, even without a Babe Ruth level of statistical success. As people are about to find out, his cards will still bring the heat in terms of value, and I think that as the year moves on, its going to be interesting to see what Topps does with their new addition. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.