The 1991 Fleer baseball card set is considered one of the most iconic and valuable vintage sets from the junk wax era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. While the cards produced during this time period were mass produced and distributed, certain rare variants and rookie cards have stood the test of time to become highly sought after by collectors. Let’s take a deeper look at some of the most valuable cards from the 1991 Fleer baseball set.
The card generally regarded as the crown jewel of the 1991 Fleer set is the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card. Griffey was already one of the game’s brightest young stars by 1991 and would go on to have a Hall of Fame career. What makes his rookie so desirable is the rare error variant where the name “Ken Griffey Jr.” is missing from the front of the card. This error is notoriously difficult to obtain as only a small number are believed to have made it into circulation missing the nameplate. In near-mint to mint condition, ungraded examples of the “no name” Griffey rookie have sold for over $25,000. PSA/BGS graded mint copies have Hammered for well over $100,000, making it one of the most expensive 1991 Fleer cards and Griffey rookie cards period.
Along with Griffey Jr., the set featured several other future Hall of Famers like Cal Ripken Jr., Tony Gwynn, and Greg Maddux among their rookie cards. Of those, Ripken’s rookie is one of the more valuable options from the set due to his iconic career and status as a Baltimore icon. High-grade PSA/BGS copies regularly sell for $400-600, with one recently achieving over $1,000 in auction. Gwynn’s is also quite popular, with PSA 10s bringing $150-300. Maddux’s is more attainable for collectors, with PSA/SGC 10s selling between $70-150.
Another rookie card that has greatly increased in value over the years is Keith Comstock’s. At the time, Comstock was considered a promising young pitcher in the Cubs system. He never panned out and only played 3 seasons in the bigs. What makes his 1991 Fleer RC valuable is the strange error where his photograph is actually of fellow pitcher Jeff Pico on the back. This mix up makes the Comstock/Pico error card one of the most sought after mistakes from the junk wax era. High grades have sold for upwards of $1,000 in recent years.
In addition to rookie cards, key inserts and parallels can also hold solid value. The 1991 Fleer set featured “Gold” parallel cards numbered to 1991 copies. These scarce version of stars like Barry Bonds, Cal Ripken Jr., Nolan Ryan, and Greg Maddux regularly sell for $50-150 each graded Mint. The “Team Leaders” insert set highlighting statistical leaders is also popular. A complete near-mint to mint graded set recently crossed the auction block for over $800.
Condition is king when it comes to the value of any vintage baseball card. For the most valuable cards in the 1991 Fleer set like the Griffey and Comstock errors, graded Gem Mint 10 copies will realize the highest prices. More common star cards and rookie cards still demand a premium for high grades as well. In the volatile sports card market, graded examples seem to hold their worth better in the long run compared to raw copies. Therefore, seek the best condition possible when acquiring 1991 Fleer cards you want to retain value. Curated full or high number sets in top-grades have also shown to perform well with collectors.
While the 1991 Fleer set comes from the height of the junk wax era where scarcity isn’t much of an issue for most cards, there are still some real gems that have stood the test of time. Rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Ken Griffey Jr. and Cal Ripken Jr. will likely remain the most sought after components. Error variances, short-printed inserts, and condition factors into boosting virtually any 1991 Fleer card well above their original cheap bundle pack prices of the early ’90s. For discerning collectors, hunting down the highest quality examples of these valuable outliers can make for a worthy collecting endeavor and potentially lucrative long-term investment within the wider world of baseball memorabilia and cards.
