The 1991 Leaf Baseball card set is notable for its original photography, innovative card designs, and inclusions of several very rare and valuable trading cards. As the second series release by Leaf that year, Series 2 built upon the foundation and popularity established by the highly successful first series. However, Series 2 introduced several new collecting challenges by including substantially fewer produced cards of star players as well as completely unannounced short printed parallels.
Two of the biggest rare gems in the set are the extremely scarce Frank Thomas rookie card and the ultra-rare Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card parallel. The Frank Thomas rookie is one of the most coveted rookie cards of all time due to his prolific career and status as a true franchise cornerstone for the Chicago White Sox. Only 50 of the Thomas rookie are believed to have been printed, making it nearly impossible to locate today in anything above poor condition. Graded examples almost never trade hands privately and routinely sell for tens of thousands of dollars when they surface publicly.
While the standard Ken Griffey Jr. rookie is plentiful and affordable even in high grades, collectors long dreamed of the elusive parallel version that was stealthily inserted by Leaf. Rumored to have been printed in quantities of 10 or fewer, this parallel Griffey rookie features an emerald green border and green Leaf logo instead of the standard red. No official count has ever been provided by the company, leaving the true print run a mystery. When one did come to auction in 2015, it shattered records by selling for over $100,000. Both the Thomas and Griffey parallels are the definition of the term “chase card” for any serious collector of the 1991 Leaf set.
Another huge rarity from Series 2 is the Nolan Ryan card featuring his record breaking 5,000th strikeout. This milestone event occurred on August 22, 1990 when Ryan struck out Rickey Henderson of the A’s. Leaf captured the moment for posterity with a stunning image on Ryan’s card. They produced it in shockingly low quantities, estimated between only 50-100 copies. Like the other stars, finding one today above a PSA/BGS 4 or 5 would be nothing short of hitting the lottery. Even well-worn low grade examples command four figure prices.
Staying focused on pitching legends, the Dennis Eckersley rookie card is also a key rare piece within the set. As one of the final rookie cards issued of the Hall of Famer, its status was further elevated by Eckersley’s dominant career resurgence as a closer later in his career. Only approximately 250 copies are thought to exist in the population. Locating one in high grade is ridiculously difficult, with even PSA 8’s selling for over $10,000 when they surface. Beyond the scarcity, its iconic image of Eckersley’s rookie season with the Cleveland Indians makes it an iconic piece of memorabilia.
Rounding out the true short print holy grails is the Nolan Ryan high number card featuring a different posed action shot. Like the standard issue Ryan, this parallel was virtually unannounced and limited to an amazingly small production run. Most experts speculate around 50 copies or less were printed. It’s possible the print run was even smaller than that. No high grade example has ever been confirmed as hitting the marketplace publicly. Its absence from most comprehensive elite collections speaks volumes about its fleeting nature within the set.
While those 5 cards—the Thomas and Griffey rookies, Ryan 5,000th K, Eckersley rookie, and Ryan high number—represent the true unobtanium for 1991 Leaf Series 2, there are several other scarce singles that hold significant value as well. The Bo Jackson rookie is fairly scarce in high grades, with around 500 thought to exist in PSA 8 or above condition. Finding iconic stars like Barry Bonds, Tom Glavine, or Greg Maddux rookies in pristine mint state is also a daunting task.
More broadly, the 1991 Leaf Baseball set holds an important place in card history overall for being one of the earliest modern issues after the junk wax era to feature extensive original photography and creative card designs. While production numbers on individual players varied greatly, collectors enjoyed chasing the complete base set which totals 399 cards after accounting for die-cuts and parallel inserts. Beyond the short prints, assembling a high grade master set represents a true lifetime achievement worthy of admiration in the hobby. Fueled by brilliant photography capturing pivotal MLB moments in 1991, the allure and mystique of this storied release from Leaf continues undiminished after 30 years.
The 1991 Leaf Baseball Series 2 set introduced several completely unforeseen new collecting challenges through miniscule print runs on star players’ cards like Frank Thomas, Ken Griffey Jr., Nolan Ryan, and Dennis Eckersley. These scarce singles separated true elite collectors from the rest through their fleeting scarcity and sky high values. While other pieces like Bo Jackson and ace rookie cards hold significance, the true unobtanium Status of the original 5 super short prints continually captivates the imagination of vintage traders around the world. Series 2 built on the foundation of its predecessor to become one of the most coveted baseball issues of the modern era.
