The year 1991 saw some major changes and milestones in the baseball card industry. Iconic rookie cards like Chipper Jones and Jim Thome were released that year, while new sets like Upper Deck and Score tried to compete with industry leader Topps. It was also the final year that Fleer produced baseball cards before losing its license.
Topps continued to be the dominant force in 1991, releasing several standard sets. The flagship Topps set featured 792 total cards as usual. Some of the top rookies in the set included Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Bobby Higginson, and Jason Bere. The design featured white borders around each photo and basic team name/player info on the back. Series one was released in March while series two came out in July.
Topps also produced smaller specialty sets like Traded and Update. Traded contained cards of players who had been traded to new teams since the start of the season. The Update set was released later in the year and included stats and photos from the second half of the season as well as additional rookie cards. Both sets helped collectors keep their main Topps sets current.
Fleer’s final baseball card offering for 1991 had 552 total cards split between two series. Like Topps, Fleer included rookie cards for Jones, Thome, and others. The design was much more basic and lacked the polish of Topps. Fleer struggled to compete and lost their MLB license after the 1991 season. Their final baseball cards are still sought after by collectors today looking to complete their Fleer collections.
Score also tried to break into the baseball card market in 1991 by targeting collectors looking for something different than Topps. Their “Score” set included parallel “Traded” and “Update” inserts similar to Topps. The Score brand lacked the same name recognition and distribution channels as the industry leaders. The set size was also smaller at only 378 total cards. While Score would continue producing baseball cards for several more years, 1991 marked their debut attempt to seriously compete.
The biggest new competitor in 1991 was Upper Deck. Founded in 1988, Upper Deck released their first baseball card set featuring MLB players and logos. Their innovative design included embossed logos, glossy stock, and sharp color photos. The set had a daunting 1,020 total cards split between two series. Upper Deck was the first to include parallel “Gold Shield” and “HoloFocus” insert sets within the base release. Rookies like Chipper Jones even had autographed parallel cards available. The quality and premium materials helped Upper Deck gain immediate popularity among collectors.
Several other smaller issuers also tried to capitalize on the baseball card boom in 1991. Donruss released sets under their brand as did Leaf. Stadium Club debuted with an elegant design and photo style different than the other brands. And Minor League/Rookie sets from Bowman and ProCards offered a look at future stars. Collectors were still drawn most to the flagship releases from Topps and the upstart challenger Upper Deck.
Two of the most coveted and valuable baseball cards from 1991 are the Chipper Jones and Jim Thome rookie cards from the main Topps set. Both players went on to have Hall of Fame caliber careers, making their debut cards highly sought after by collectors. In near mint condition, the Chipper Jones fetches over $1,000 today while the Thome can sell for $500 or more. Plenty of other young stars from 1991 like Bobby Higginson also have rookie cards that hold significance, even if they are worth far less.
In summary, 1991 was a major transition year for the baseball card industry. Fleer’s departure opened the door for new competition while Upper Deck took full advantage with their premium product. Topps remained king but saw real challenges to their throne. And collectors were introduced to future stars with rookie cards that have grown greatly in value. The influx of new brands and sets made 1991 one of the most exciting years for baseball cards during the entire junk wax era. It set the stage for the proliferation of brands and inserts that define the modern trading card market even today.
