As you read through this list, please keep in mind that most cards in this set have little to no value these days. Considering his Hall Of Fame legacy and untimely passing, this is very surprising. Once blinded by the bells and whistles of the new early 90s premium sets, collectors returned to 1991 Topps to find some of the most dynamic and interesting photos in a flagship set. See, in 1990, Topps had issued a set of comic-book bordered cards that marched alongside the garish red of Donruss and the general ickiness of a crappy Fleer set as the three traditional. And at the same time, Fleer threw its had into the premium card market, too. Who needed classic lines and clear, crisp photos when you had freaking design, man? Would the set have held up better if other major rookie cards materialized over time? collecting period of 1986-93, a time in which trading card companies oversaturated the market with cards to meet the demand of an expanding consumer base. Thanks! 1989 Topps Randy Johnson Rookie Card 4. Shortcuts: His batting average also nosedived to .201 and Tony La Russa, the Oakland A's manager at the time, even decided to bench McGwire for the final game of the season just to avoid his average potentially slipping below .200. The image on this card perfectly exemplifies why baseball nicknamed him one of the "Bash Brothers" as it portrays him getting ready to do exactly that: bash the cover off the ball. These frames are color-coded according to the team. It is also an indicator of the price movement of trading cards. 3. When it comes to the most valuable baseball cards of the 1990s, only the Frank Thomas error exceeds it. The multiple borders in the design allow multiple 3-D effects chosen seemingly at the whim of the Topps artists. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Win Complete Vintage Sets. 1991 Topps Emmitt SmithRookie Card (#360) Is Smith the greatest running back of all time? 1 Nolan Ryan - Texas Rangers 2 George Brett - Kansas City Royals RB 3 Carlton Fisk - Chicago White Sox RB 4 Kevin Maas - New York Yankees RB 5 Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles RB 6 Nolan Ryan - Texas Rangers RB Mike Mussina and Ivan Rodriguez are a couple of more standouts. 1991 Topps Ken Griffey Jr Seattle Mariners Rookie Card. Grade: Ungraded. 9 Roger Clemens #530 One of the most memorable cards in the '91 Topps set, this horizontal stunner shows Clemens posing in front of Fenway Park's famed scoreboard. Wax Pack Gods, 100 Most Expensive Magic The Gathering Cards Sold on eBay in the Last 30 Days, 1989 Upper Deck Baseball Cards 28 Most Valuable Wax Pack Gods. Topps gesture would have been appreciated, surely, but, well, troops had bigger issues to worry about. Sanders made sure to rework his contract in the offseason to be available for MLB playoff games in the future and the move certainly paid off in a big way for the Braves. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: Upper Deck could not have chosen a better player than Ken Griffey Jr. to lead off the checklist as card #1 of their debut set in 1989. After two years of balancing his efforts as a two-sport athlete for the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Falcons, the Yankees finally decided to part ways with Sanders in September 1990. Though McGwire had built a reputation as a power hitter capable of sending the ball to the moon heading into the 1991 season, he did not live up to it that year. As regal as 1991 Topps Baseball is in retrospect, why would kids collect something that looked like their fathers set when so many younger products were calling to them? Great article! Card Number: #302. Vintage Topps Cards. What wasnt known at the time was that only vintage cards valued at $50 or less were randomly inserted into packs. Exact print runs of Desert Shield baseball cards arent known, but standard estimates put the total number of sets at between 6500 and 7000. Due to poor sales of the. I have over 2000 91 baseball cards how do I know which ones are worth money ? I have cards from early 1900s and up my son inherited them some are in books all in good shape . Don Mattingly was one of the most feared hitters during the 1980s, capable of hitting for both average and power. By season's end, he added his ninth-straight All-Star appearance, second MVP Award, his sixth Silver Slugger, and his first Gold Glove. A Baseball Card Database by Baseball Almanac. I hve the whole collection of topps 40 baseball cards how do I find value. If you would've asked anyone at the time if he was on his way to an eventual induction into Cooperstown, they may have looked at you in disbelief, unsure if you were joking. A short bio is added for those players with enough space. Prices are updated daily based upon 1991 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Read our methodology. Its a perfect card that still sells a handful of times every month. Rating: 7.1 (153 votes) . Because of the sets high profile among other cards from the 1990s, there have been plenty of counterfeits to hit the market over the years. 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle: $12.6 million. That meant several never really made their way into the circulation of collectors. 1991 Topps was, to be honest, nothing remarkable to my kid self while products like Upper Deck, Leaf and Stadium Club were demanding allowance dollars.. Nolan Ryan broke out the tuxedo to pose for this card and that fashion statement helped it quickly become one of the most popular cards in the hobby that year. Anyway, Ripken Jr. will always be known for that "other streak", the one in which he played in 2,632 consecutive games. Like Griffey, Bo Jackson has seen his status in this hobby continue to rise in recent years as collectors who were kids during this era are now adults full of nostalgia scooping up cards of their former heroes. We use cookies to help personalize content, tailor and measure ads, and provide a safer experience. It also sounds familiar if youre a fan of classic sets from the hobbys history 1953 Bowman, 1957 Topps, 1967 Topps. 1991 Donruss Original Ken Griffey Jr Error Card 3. Super rare and up to $5k graded mint. By the time the 1980s came to a close, Donnie Baseball had an MVP, batting title, six All-Star selections, three Silver Sluggers and five Gold Gloves to his name. The Trading Card Database website lists 81 different variations or errors for the set, from the more famous such as Keith Comstocks card (#337) appearing with either a Cubs or Mariners word mark on the front, or the Dodgers Jose Gonzalez (#279) appearing with team-mate Billy Beans image to the more obscure sheet print code variations found in tiny letters on the back bottom right corner of each card. buy stuff after clicking links on our site Topps had also returned to a more reserved design to celebrate its anniversary one year after offering one of its flashiest flagship designs ever, the comic book-themed 1990 set. To honor our troops and maybe give them a tiny taste of home, Topps produced a parallel of their base set, designated as Topps Desert Shield. Anyways, we all know that Barry Bonds was anythingbutboring, and the 1991 season saw him add a second Silver Slugger and Gold Glove to his resume while finishing just short of a second MVP to Atlanta's Terry Pendleton. Then, theres the Chipper Jones card, with graded examples usually running close to $1,000 or more. And, the numbers indeed show it as his slugging percentage and OPS plummeted to .383 and .714, respectively. Rickey Henderson headed into the 1991 season looking to somehow keep the momentum going from the career year he had the year before. And because they corrected it, the limited number of Whiten cards where his hand is over the border instantly became a rarity and have shot up in value as a result. Nothing against the Boston Red Sox, but despite being one of baseball's most storied franchises, they're also known for a couple of bonehead deals. This PSA article, in part, details several types of counterfeit Desert Shield cards with fake foil stamps. I think its a great promotion, Richard O. Rieger, an analyst for a financial services company, told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I used to have a running estimate but I couldnt say at this point. Its commonplace to find PSA 9 Chippers RCs selling for around $2000 on eBay, and PSA 10s of most of the eras superstars north of $1000, as well. So what are these cards? Speaking of superstars of the 1990's, next on our list is Ken Griffey Jr. Nonetheless, PSA 10s in the following still command respectable coins. This was the year Topps finally woke up and decided to try to put out a set to try to compete with Upper Deck. Griffey eventually turned into the Hall of Famer everyone thought he would be and his 1989 Upper Deck rookie card has since solidified itself as one of the most iconic cards in the hobby. Collectors will also find a rookie of two-time All-Star Carl Everett, but even that card has minimal value. The Best Topps Baseball Rookie Card from Each Year - 1952-2020 The following list includes a year-by-year breakdown of the most valuable card for each flagship Topps baseball set. Need help buying or selling cards or have a general question about the hobby? So there you have it, the ten most valuable 1991 Topps cards in both their base and Desert Shield forms. If you are looking for information on Beckett Grading, their website it beckett.com/grading. (Updated for 2022) SUBSCRIBE NOW! How many exist today, really, is anybodys guess. His production during the 1980's playing for the sport's most popular team seemed to put Mattingly on an easy trajectory towards a future Hall of Fame induction. A rundown of the most expensive 1991 Topps baseball cards sold on eBay in April-June of 2022.See the most recent eBay top sellers of 1991 Topps baseball card. Traded https://www.cardboardconnection.com/1991-topps-traded-baseball-cards. The O-Pee-Chee set is identical to the 1991 Topps offering - right down to the Topps 40th Anniversary logo. Although his career was limited by injuries, he still put up monster numbers and was an easy Hall of Fame inductee. When 1991 Topps Stadium Club baseball cards first hit the market, it was clear what Topps was attempting to do: offer a premium set to compete with Upper Deck. How much are YOUR cards worth? The guy had just broken out, to say the least, the season before when he appeared in his first All-Star Game while winning his first MVP, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Awards. 33 cards. The picture of the legendary pitchers body uncoiled after what we can presume is another heater whizzing past a helpless hitter. Card Back Q&A: Scott Elarton Talks J.R. Richard and Being Smartest Pitching Prospect, Popular Michael Jordan Baseball Cards Remain Mostly Cheap, 25th Anniversary of Some Great 1991 Rarities, The Ten 1990s Baseball Issues that Killed the Player Collector Completist, Cardboard in the Desert: A Soldier Remembers, Collects 1991 Topps Desert Shield, mentions cards being thrown away and even burned as part of fires, graded examples usually running close to $1,000 or more, sold for nearly $3,000 in September on eBay, In 2018, the No. I began buying in 1967 and in 1972 I got lazy and just bought complete sets, that I did mail order not at the corner store. Sadly, 1991 was the year that Jackson's professional sports career completely derailed after injuring his hip during a playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January that year. You can count 1991 solidly in the hit column thanks to the first Topps cards of two future Hall of Famers Houston Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell and Texas Rangers catcher Ivan Rodriguez. Dont forget chipper jones rc with frank minefield football back. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. Many collectors reported opening countless containers without finding a single vintage card, not even a 1989 Topps common. PSA 10 Chipper Jones rookie cards that sold on eBay for north of $21,000 in March of 2021. It has been graded by PSA as a Mint 10 condition card. 3. In practice, you can probably find even PSA gems for less than these prices on eBay or at shows. While PSA has graded close to 60,000 Desert Shield cards, just about 12,000 check in at PSA 10. 1989 Steve Avery Signed Topps Rookie Card Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. 1985 Topps Tiffany Nolan Ryan baseball card #760 PSA 10 Value: $1,079 1985 Topps Tiffany Nolan Ryan baseball card #760 graded PSA 10 Check prices on eBay So, for the cards on this list to be worth much, they'll have to be graded by PSA to be in perfect, gem mint condition. For cards worth more than that amount or issued prior to 1957, Topps inserted redemptions, according to the spokesman for Topps at the time. Ungraded & graded values for all '91 Topps Baseball Cards. 2. An earlier Sports Collectors Daily article with a first-hand account from a soldier in the Middle East mentions cards being thrown away and even burned as part of fires. Remember, he was pitching in hisfourth decadein 1991 which speaks to his longevity on the mound. Yeah, 1991 Topps Baseball contained those old familiars the record breaker cards, league leader cards and ugh checklists, each issued on gray cardboard for one last time. Topps used a special 40th Anniversary logo on the cards. Jose Uribe was a league baseball shortstop from 1984 to 1993. When I watched Griffey playing during the 1990's, it almost seemed a certainty he would one day be the all-time leader in home runs. At 600 cards total, the Stadium Club checklist was much smaller than the regular 1991 Topps baseball card set but packed a much better design. All Rights Reserved. Ichiro Suzuki 2001 Topps Limited Edition Rookie Card 4. 1991 Topps, still, is the last flagship set from the company to use gray, cardboard stock, a look and feel that has gone the way of paper rituals like penning thank you notes. Capitalizing on improvement in photography, Topps unveiled powerful images, such as the action-packed Carlton Fisk (with big Cecil Fielder barreling toward home), Walt Weiss and Rickey Henderson cards, all with horizontal displays. While Topps didnt do anything to move away from their traditional mushy brown cardboard in base sets until 1992, we could always count on Tiffany. The photography and premium look and feel of the cards have held up quite well to this day. #18. The fact that this gem from Gwynns 10th season has a $60 sticker today isnt quite as amazing as some of the Padres legends hitting stats, but its still impressive enough. It will be blast checking the cards out now for favorites, rookies, errors and all the memories. I have a lot of these football cards late 70s and up baseball basketball Im wondering if the have any value. This is his first solo card, so in that sense, this is the true Bench RC. Price: $1,000. Check Desert Shield prices on eBay (affiliate link), Check Desert Shield prices on Amazon (affiliate link), The relative scarcity of pristine Desert Shield cards has led to some big prices on the secondary market, including . Rating: 7.1 (153 votes) Click here to Rate. 1994 Collector's Choice Baseball Michael Jordan RC #661 One of the biggest stories in sports in 1994 was Michael Jordan switching to play baseball. And, by the time his fifteen years with Houston were up, he'd smashed 449 home runs, appeared in four All-Star Games, won an MVP, collected three Silver Sluggers and one Gold Glove to tie the knot on his Hall of Fame career. Ultimately, Topps slotted Dave Stewart in as card #1 in the set, but I have to believe there is a story behind why they were the only two players who posed in tuxedos. He had incredible range and could get rid of the ball with lighting speed making him one of the best defensive shortstops the game has ever seen. Pricing - 1991 Topps Baseball | Trading Card Database Baseball Sets 1991 Overview 1991 Topps Pricing Complete Set: $20.99 ( Submit a Price) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Prices as submitted by site members. So, for the cards on this list to be worth much, they'll either have to be graded by PSA to be in perfect, gem mint condition. Given the amount of excitement Bonds was clearly bringing to the game, why did Topps choose to showcase such an explosive player in this manner? The card of Jones, an eight-time All-Sar and former Most Valuable Player, has become of one of the more sought after cards in the junk wax era particularly in high-grade condition. Any idea if they are all mint or could some have minor damage since cards were purchased back from collectors? The 1991 Topps baseball cards issue was a product of its time and of much earlier times. What Is the Most Valuable 1991 Topps Baseball Card? 1989 Ken Griffey Jr Topps Card 3. That said, prices for graded cards will increase the price in a hurry. 1989 Matt Williams S.F. Ryan was 43 years, 4 months and 11 days old when he threw that record-breaking no-hitter (his sixth) against Oakland on June 11, 1990. Whether you include the sequential game card inserts, the bold 40th logo cards, the Glow Backs, the sheet code variants or just the more clear-cut error and corrected cards; it can go pretty deep and that means a lot of mystery to explore. INSTANT WIN, each pack proclaimed in the bottom right corner. Read our methodology . But they weren't just any regular bonehead deals, they were two of the worst in MLB history. The cards, if youre unfamiliar with them, are moderately rare. Although the conventional look of 1991 Topps Baseball may have conveyed a feeling of self-satisfaction from the company, evidence that the competitive wheels were still turning could be found on every red wax pack issued. A pair of thin frames are also around the photo. From 1984 to 1991, Topps released a limited edition version of both their regular and traded sets called "Tiffany" sets. Despite that rarity, many of these cards are very affordable. The cards are a trademark Topps issue printed on non-gloss cardstock. All rights reserved. I remember he seemed to hit and run with a distinct style and grace and you can see that coming to life in this great image of him heading towards first base. Was he originally slated to be the first card in the set but Topps decided to go with Dave Stewart at some point instead? As far as athletes go, only Michael Jordan seemed to be more popular than Griffey Jr. back then and everybody wanted his cards. Baseball; Sets; 1991; Overview; 1991 Topps. 28 Most Valuable 1991 Donruss Baseball Cards In The World: Price List 1. He manages a pre-war sports card blog and database at www.prewarcards.com . Fred McGriffs extended bat stays within the frame while Evans bat breaks all the way through. Or Hunt for Errors? Check Tiffany prices on eBay (affiliate link), Check Tiffany prices on Amazon (affiliate link). The power with the bat was gone but he still had his glove, though, and in 1991 he would earn his sixth of nine career Gold Gloves. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Stay in the know about the latest sports card, hobby news, and promotions from Beckett. Calling them scarce would a bit much, even if many of the roughly 6,500-7,000 of each player estimated to have been printed were discarded. All cards feature a "Topps 40 Years of Baseball" logo to commemorate Topps' 40th year of baseball releases. I have about 30 box or 1991 tops baseball cards. However, we also know that many were discarded . That is probably the most fantastic shot of all time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. I started high school in 91 so by late summer I packed all the cards safely away and never checked them out. I was the winner of the 1959 complete set from mailing in the insert cards. But there were still all those randomly inserted cards. It requires a lot of work, especially if you want to collect the more nuanced and questionable varieties.. Ungraded & graded values for all '91 Topps With that likely came mistakes, he said. Check out eBay, and youll find complete sets for $10 or less, often under $5. Compared to the ugly 1990 Topps design this was leap years ahead. 1990 Frank Thomas NNOF Rookie Card #414 #3. Topps relied on a sales gimmick, tied to its anniversary, to entice collectors to the old standby, while still dressed in the familiar, old, gray cardboard. Its that last cardboard set, tying son to father to grandfather. This set is especially interesting to me because a master set contains more variations than any other Topps set, before or since (excluding intentional parallels and variations), Charles said. Ungraded & graded values for all '91 Topps Archives 1953 Reprint Baseball Cards. Most Expensive, I have some Topps baseball cards (1988-1991).How do I get the value of these cards? 1969 Topps All-Star Rookie Johnny Bench Rookie Card #95 SHOP EBAY You can go back and forth on which is the actual Johnny Bench rookie card. 0% Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: 1991 Stadium Club #270 Ken Griffey Jr. What we do know is that Ryan accomplished the unthinkable during the 1991 season as he became the oldest player in MLB history to throw a no-hitter when he roasted the Toronto Blue Jays on May 1, 1991, at the age of 44. 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