I had them in their original boxes placed in shoeboxes in my closet, in fact in 2019 I offered the entire package to a friend in NY for $1000 plus shipping, fortunately his kid isnt into sports so he said no. Some of the game's greats had more than one season that could be considered the greatest of their careers. 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. 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. PSA graded 3,178 of the '86 Topps Nolan Ryan cards. Collectors could also enter the grand prize drawing by filling out the back of the game card for the opportunity to win every flagship set that Topps had created in the previous 40 years. Through 1989, when they produced 25,000 Tiffany sets, Topps actually released print run numbers publicly. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2008-2023 The Cardboard Connection. The 1991 O-Pee-Chee Baseball set consists of 792 cards, each measuring 2-1/2" by 3-1/2". Within the set were also several different subsets, including: They may not have much value today but this was easily one of my favorite sets growing up during that time period. Heres How to Tell Them Apart. To pick up where the guides leftoff after the majority of the hobby moved on [past] error cards.. Anniversary Sweepstakes. Price: $1,000. Almost every PSA 10 the man has ever been on baseball, football, whatever is considered a collectible. It is also an indicator of the price movement of trading cards. I have a load of these cards from 91 but who buys them anymore? Tommy Tom Lasorda Dodgers Topps Signed Card 7. I Took No Shortcuts: Jerry Rice Talks Georges St-Pierre Sales Highlights Beckett Pricing Cheap Wax Wednesday Box Breaks: 1991 Topps Baseball, Junk Wax Journeys: 1991 Donruss Baseball Cards, Upper Deck Hologram Baseball Card Box Sets of the 1990s Box Set Boom. 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. Read our methodology . 33 cards. Honus. 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. Incredibly, his play during the first half of the season was far better than the second: As you can see, his production during the second half "tanked" compared to the first half. However, while some of them made their way overseas, there are reports of others remaining here in the states. 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. Lets start at the beginning and work our way through the rest. 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. 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 remember those cards distinctly, even if finding them proved difficult. His iconic status help keep his baseball cards among the most desirable in any set in which he appeared. There were only around 6,500 of the Desert Shield versions produced for each player making them very limited and on top of that, you can imagine how few survived war-time conditions in top condition. The price guide is linked in the top menu of this page. Due to the special nature of this anniversary set and because the errors were caught early enough in the press run, Topps decided to correct a number of the cards. I can safely say many, many cases worth of most packing types. . In the end, Jack Glenn, a 43-year-old collector from New York City, won the grand prize of every Topps set. Although, I never pulled a single one of any of those randomly inserted cards, I always loved this set. This is especially true for its baseball card releases . Counterfeits. The top card in the set is easily the rookie card of Hall of Famer Chipper Jones. Prices for 1992 Leaf Baseball Cards. My years of habitual buying were 87-91. And there are only a couple worth over $300-$10,000. Among the more well-known and difficult variations to discover include the Doug Drabek card (a white inner border rather than a black one), the Dennis Oil Can Boyd card (hand under the flag on the Topps 40th anniversary logo) and the highly sought Mark Whiten card variation, in which Whitens hand gripping the bat handle overlaps the white outer edge of the card. 1992 Leaf card list & price guide. PFEW as I did sell every card to one guy who appreciates them and will take care of them, and yes, much more than $1000. Fred McGriffs extended bat stays within the frame while Evans bat breaks all the way through. 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 @Sam You would need to look at the cards to determine that. As far as rookie cards go, Jeff Bagwell is still the only key rookie in the checklist. If you do not receive the verification code within 60 Seconds, we will send you the activation link again. Get my weekly newsletter with the latest hobby updates delivered straight to your inbox! Filed Under: Modern Sports Card News, Popular Stories, Sports Card News Tagged With: 1990's baseball cards, 1990s baseball rookie cards, 1991 Topps Desert Shield, chipper jones. It was recently sold on eBay for $150.50, thus making it worthy of being on our list of most valuable Bo Jackson baseball cards. Chipper Jones was a flat out superstar during the 1990's and fans adored him. They have remained in a safety deposit box since 1991. The record book says yes, seeing as how Emmitt owns most of the career rushing marks that mean anything, and he's second to only Rice in total yards from scrimmage. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. 3. Thankfully, McGwire took the offseason to work out all of the kinks and would be back on track for the 1992 season. For cards worth more than that amount or issued prior to 1957, Topps inserted redemptions, according to the spokesman for Topps at the time. 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. All rights reserved. Most expensive baseball cards in history. 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. I dont know what to do with them all . Pitchers with 300 Wins and Their Baseball Cards! If you continue to use this site, we'll assume you're OK with that. - http://bit.ly/W. Fortunately, the Chicago White Sox quickly gave him a shot and signed him to a three-year deal. The look of the card was utterly simplistic gray cardboard; a uniform-matching color border; the teams nickname in the bottom right; a Topps 40 Years of Baseball logo in the top left but it still somehow resonates with collectors to this day. During his debut season in 1982, Gwynn barely missed the .300 mark by batting .289 in 190 at-bats over the 54 games he played that year. 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. For some of those veterans, 1991 Topps will always be the last real baseball card set. The story of Jackson's professional sports career finally came to a close after the strike during the 1994 season cut his time with the California Angels short and caused him to retire for good. 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. Uribe was the Giants' starting shortstop from 1986-1992. Most of the cards show the logo faded with the stats easy to read, while variations off er a bright, bold, red logo that dominates the stats. Click on any card to see more graded card prices, historic prices, and past sales. No More Secrets Puzzle Game, Mark Whiten [Hand Inside Left Border] #588. But he was also a baseball legend who was on the verge of 3000 hits, and his cards were among the most consistently popular in the hobby. I was the winner of the 1959 complete set from mailing in the insert cards. The cards were originally intended for soldiers in Operation Desert Shield, a mission to prevent Iraq from invading Saudi Arabia. One of the most important rookie cards of the 1990's, this card is routinely in high demand. At the time, the slugger was dealing with issues off the field that McGwire would later say affected his performance on the field. What wasnt known at the time was that only vintage cards valued at $50 or less were randomly inserted into packs. But compared to other cards in the junk wax era, the somewhat rare moniker probably fits. We dont know how big a role nostalgia plays with this one, but it still regularly sells north of $40. A completely unopened wax box of 36 packs was sold in December 2020 by Heritage for $30,000. Prices are updated daily based upon 1991 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Things were a bit more manageable for Sanders since he was at least playing for two teams in the same city, but the two-sport conflict reared its ugly head right when the Braves needed him the most. Exact print runs of Desert Shield baseball cards arent known, but standard estimates put the total number of sets at between 6500 and 7000. That was the headline topping an article written by John Leptich for the Chicago Tribune in October 1990, during the first viewings of the new 1991 Topps set. Im not collecting again till Topps bring back inexpensive cards like they did in the 1980s. That means the card needs to be flawless. Thanks to the inclusion of more than 20 Team USA members, the set also boasts rookies of Jason Giambi and Charles Johnson. PSA 10 Chipper Jones rookie cards that sold on eBay for north of $21,000 in March of 2021. The only box set I ever purchased. My brother and I must have gotten tired of opening them, and moved on to something new. 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 It will be blast checking the cards out now for favorites, rookies, errors and all the memories. 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? If they do, by very little. We use cookies to help personalize content, tailor and measure ads, and provide a safer experience. Read our methodology . 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. I have basketball sets from 1969(? Cards have a white border. I got my dads card collection going back to the mid 1940s. Because there are nearly 800 cards, obviously. 1 (152 . Cheapest, Was he originally slated to be the first card in the set but Topps decided to go with Dave Stewart at some point instead? Whiten played 11 years in the Big Leagues but was never a star. Instead, he attributes it to the volume of cards that Topps was producing that year, possible multiple print runs and creating them at more than one printing facility. But Charles, and others, have opened that much 91 Topps for another reason, one that continues to make the set as collectible as anything issued by Topps today. By utilizing Kodak technology, Topps delivered an incredible product that firmly put them as a serious competitor in the premium segment of the hobby. 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. One of the most memorable cards in the 91 Topps set, this horizontal stunner shows Clemens posing in front of Fenway Parks famed scoreboard. 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. List by Card #, You own: 0 / 850 items You can easily distinguish them from the base cards by the Desert Shield logo on the front of the cards. 1991 Bowman Baseball has a 704-card checklist. While some of the sets most memorable moments were of the traditional vertical variety (Chipper Jones), a few of the most famous were horizontal images (Roger Clemens). How high can these cards rise? 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. 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. The O-Pee-Chee set is identical to the 1991 Topps offering - right down to the Topps 40th Anniversary logo. This set was a monster and contained a 792 card checklist in total and that is not counting the enormous amount of errors and variations, some of which are still being discovered today. Prices are updated daily based upon 1991 Topps listings that sold on eBay and our marketplace. Is it that small? 1987 Donruss Open. 28 Most Valuable 1991 Donruss Baseball Cards In The World: Price List 1. Dont forget chipper jones rc with frank minefield football back. 1991 Topps Traded card list & price guide. I have over 2000 91 baseball cards how do I know which ones are worth money ? The biggest reason for that was the lack of a widespread internet. But they weren't just any regular bonehead deals, they were two of the worst in MLB history. 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. The 91 look in comparison appeared staid and heres a word companies never want to hear when marketing to kids boring. 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. Other memorable portraits are packaged vertically, such as the overhead Benny Santiago shot and the striking from-the-ground-up Wade Boggs photo. The cards are virtually identical to Topps regular cards from that year. 1991 Rare Vintage Error Nolan Ryan Donruss "Highlights" 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. The 1991 Topps Desert Shield baseball card is a thing of beauty and is a must-have for all Nolan Ryan fanboys. All Rights Reserved. Back then, we were always clamoring for limited print runs, premium (white) card stock, and clear photography. Ripken's streak has since been broken multiple times. Given the increasing prices of high-grade cards, the potential for unopened packs and boxes could be even greater by now. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Copyright 2022 by Old Sports Cards, LLC. I have an actual 91 Topps unopened box set. Total Prize Value. It probably does if you have ever seen an Upper Deck card they sort of changed how we saw desirable cards at the time. Baseball; Sets; 1991; Overview; 1991 Topps. Raw commons in the set typically start in the $2-$4 range and many minor stars can be purchased for under $10. #18. Ungraded & graded values for all '92 Leaf Baseball Cards. There are faked versions of this card, so this is one worth buying authenticated. Well, it depends on where youre standing and what youre holding. Cal Ripken Jr. also has a "Record Breaker" card in this set which acknowledges his achievement of setting the record for most consecutive games by a shortstop without an error at 95 games in a row. . During his sophomore season in the big leagues, 23-year-old Frank Thomas broke out in a monster way on the Southside of Chicago. Other cards that come from the same set that are also worth a mention include Mark Whiten and Don Mattingly. We don't know how big a role nostalgia plays with this one, but it still regularly sells north of $40. Super rare and up to $5k graded mint. Although it's not one of the card maker's most valuable releases, it's one of their most attractive. Like the 1991 Bowman, Donruss, Fleer, Leaf, Score, Stadium Club and Upper Deck sets, far too many of them were printed and the market is over-saturated with them. You can, after all, routinely find thousands of them on eBay. For this reason, and others, 1991 Topps Baseball is timeless, as it offers a number of attractions as varied as the hobbyists who are collecting the set still. Read our methodology . primarily baseball with complete sets for 1948-59. At the time of its release, more than a few viewed 1991 Topps Baseball as a dowdy, stuck-in-its ways, all-too-traditional release. Thanks! Mike Mussina and Ivan Rodriguez are a couple of more standouts. 1991 Topps: Top 10 Baseball Cards Johnny Lawrence July 18, 2009 Just Missed The Cut. And he never suited up for the Kansas City Royals again, either, as the team soon decided to release him before the 1991 MLB season. Now that we got that out of the way, let's take a look at the list: 1991 Bowman #183 Jeff Bagwell Rookie Card Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $225 When the Boston Red Sox traded Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for cash on January 5, 1920, they completed the worst trade in baseball history. Those "618" error cards are much more rare and valuable than the other. While his 1992 Bowman rookie is one of the iconic cards of the 1990s, it's actually his 1992 Fleer Update card that earns a spot on this most valuable list. This action shot of a post-swing Griffey doesnt get the props it probably deserves in Juniors canon of cards. Check out those clouds! Some of the logos and card backs glow when placed under a black light, demonstrating the resourcefulness and zeal of 1991 Topps collectors to find such an anomaly. Heres a closer look at this impressive set that continues to generate collector interest three decades after it was first issued. You might also enjoy our Ultimate Guide treatment of 1990 Topps baseball cards, right here. ) A double border in two different colors houses the photo image, except when that image is breaking out of the design. The 2000 Playoff Contenders Tom Brady will probably go down as the most iconic football card of all time. Derek Jeter 2000 Topps Gallery Exhibits 3. The 1991 Topps set debuted just as America was engaging in the first Gulf War. I think its a great promotion, Richard O. Rieger, an analyst for a financial services company, told the Los Angeles Times in 1991. 1989 Matt Williams S.F. For young fans of that time, Topps couldnt compare to the vibrant and youthful Upper Deck, Leaf or even Topps brand-new offshoot, Stadium Club. All cards feature a "Topps 40 Years of Baseball" logo to commemorate Topps' 40th year of baseball releases. Ozzie Smith was an absolute master with his defensive wizardry. 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. There is plenty of room for all the game's top stars. It makes sense that Topps would feature the first player in this set in a tuxedo as a clever way of helping to market their first premium set in a higher standard. 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. By 1991, Mattingly boosted his slugging percentage to .394 and in the following seasons above .400, although barely. 1991 Upper Deck #345 Nolan Ryan Estimated PSA 10 Gem Mint Value: $15 Remarkably, Nolan Ryan was 44 years old when he was pitching during the 1991 season. Keep in mind, most cards from this set have no value--there were millions of each card printed. 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. Its hard to believe but the 1991 Desert Shield baseball cards issued by Topps have turned 30. What Is the Most Valuable 1991 Topps Baseball Card? Rating: 7.1 (153 votes) Click here to Rate. Couple that with the wartime conditions under which most of these cards first saw the light of day and that they had to make a long trip home to find their way into American collections, and its little wonder these cards are hard to come by in top condition. Ross is the founder of Old Sports Cards and has been collecting sports cards for over 30 years. I read it a while ago and because of it, finally picked up a factory sealed set for ~$20 tonight. The "All Star" callout at the top with the starry sky in the background adds a very nice design touch to this card. To put things into perspective, Mattingly led the Majors in 1986 with a .573 slugging percentage and .967 OPS. 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. Not only the 3 main sports but there are WWII cards, celebrity cards (Yvonne DeCarlo), Hopalong Cassidy, etc. 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. Premium: However his iconic 1983 Topps rookie card only goes for $475. How many exist today, really, is anybodys guess. Fronts included full color images of players with white borders while backs had the typical statistic-laden layout found on Topps other sets. Above the bar is a ribbon with the team's name. Within ten years, Gum Inc. grasped 60% of the gum production in the US market. The 1991 Topps baseball cards issue was a product of its time and of much earlier times. Its like they found old cards in a warehouse and held an auction.. Nope, the Old Gray Mare aint what she used to be. Like so many kids of my generation, I was pretty hooked on cards by late 1990, said Dylan Charles, a collector on the West Coast. And can you believe that the Desert Shield version of this card can sell for thousands of dollars? In the opposite corner, Topps trumpets its 40th Anniversary, a 792-card salute to its reign as the preeminent bubble gum card company in the world. As far as athletes go, only Michael Jordan seemed to be more popular than Griffey Jr. back then and everybody wanted his cards. I have a brand new box still wrapped up are they wourth anything. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Download Price List, SportsCardsPro 2019-2023 These frames are color-coded according to the team. He also loves to write about the hobby and has written for Beckett, Topps, SABR and of course, this website. 1952 to 1990. By entering your email address you agree to receive email versions of the Baseball Card Market Report. buy stuff after clicking links on our site Total Cards: 792. There was no need for Bonds to panic, however, since he'd add six more MVPs and multiple top-five voting finishes before his storied career came to a close in 2007. Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news. I was told graded its 10k. So there you have it, the ten most valuable 1991 Topps cards in both their base and Desert Shield forms. 2000 Topps Traded Miguel Cabrera 2. So which of the 1991 Topps baseball cards are most valuable? Note to readers: If you purchase something through one of our affiliates, we may earn a commission. And, the numbers indeed show it as his slugging percentage and OPS plummeted to .383 and .714, respectively. The dominant design element was the player photo, big and clear (for the most part).